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Registration Deadline: April 7, 2027

2027 Concrete Masonry Competition

Performing Arts Center

Schedule

April 7, 2027

Registration Deadline

June 2, 2027

Submission Deadline

Summer 2027

Jury Convenes

Fall 2027

Winners Announced

Program

Performing Arts Center

A Performing Arts Center is a vital cultural hub that reflects a community’s creative spirit. It connects artists and audiences through performance, education, and imagination. The design challenge Is to propose a dynamic architectural response that goes beyond a standard venue, unitizing concrete masonry units (CMU) as the primary structural material. Your design needs to have dedicated areas for professional performance, practice, and education. The design should be an engaging public space with an open, inviting environment that fosters creative exchange and civic interaction. The design should integrate within the community so that it naturally fits into the existing neighborhood fabric, welcoming the public and celebrating the human spirit.

The total area of the Performing Arts Center program may range depending on the community鈥檚 needs. The program area total should be a minimum of 30,000 square feet and be a compatible size with the needs of the community served. Your building square footage can grow, without limitation, to appropriately meet the needs of the chosen community and site.

As performance centers throughout the country continue to adapt to better serve their communities and expand their reach, the center may include both 鈥渢ypical鈥 art programs as well as public gathering and community spaces. You are encouraged to consider creative ways that the center may make their performances more accessible to the public, specifically to members of the community who may not otherwise be exposed to the arts as an outlet for creative expression or personal growth.

The performance and rehearsal studios should be designed to accommodate multiple forms of performances. These spaces will support both practice and live performance and should be one of the distinctive features of the center. The following spaces are general guides; students and faculty can adjust and expand on the program spaces to fit the center and community needs.

Outdoor Public Space

Flexible & Multi-Functional Outdoor Space

Entry & Reception Area

Welcome Desk/Ticketing Counter

500 sq. ft.

Display Area

500 sq. ft.

Lobby Seating Area聽

1,000 sq. ft.

Cafe

1,000 sq. ft.

Public Restrooms

600 sq. ft.

Entry & Reception Area, Subtotal

3,600 sq. ft.

Performance & Rehearsal Studios

Large Studio
Minimum 20鈥 Clear Height
Seating for up to 150

4,000 sq. ft.

Two (2) Medium Studios
Minimum 16鈥 Clear Height

2,500 sq. ft. each

Performance & Rehearsal Studios, Subtotal

9,000 sq. ft.

Dancer鈥檚 Lounge Area

Two (2) Dressing Room/Locker Rooms

600 sq. ft. each

Two (2) Restrooms

300 sq. ft. each

Dancer鈥檚 Lounge Area, Subtotal

1,800 sq. ft.

Classrooms

Two (2) Flexible, Multi-Purpose Classrooms

1,000 sq. ft. each

Classrooms, Subtotal

2,000 sq. ft.

Administration Suite

Six (6) Staff Offices

100 sq. ft. each

Creative Director鈥檚 Office

200 sq. ft.

Private Conference Room

400 sq. ft.

Break Room/Kitchenette

400 sq. ft.

Admin Restrooms

300 sq. ft.

Administration Suite, Subtotal

1,900 sq. ft.

Operations Facilities

Production Office

150 sq. ft.

Film/Tech Room
Adjacent to Large Performance Studio

150 sq. ft.

Stage Set Fabrication Shop

2,000 sq. ft.

Costume Shop
Sewing, Assembly Table, Costume Storage

800 sq. ft.

Operational Facilities, Subtotal

3,100 sq. ft.

Building Support

Public/Staff Parking
(if appropriate for the context/community)

Loading Dock
(if appropriate for the context/community)

For materials, building supplies, trash, etc.
Close to Stage Set, Fabrication Shop
Close to Freight Elevator

1,000 sq. ft.

Storage

1,000 sq. ft.

Security Office

100 sq. ft.

Support Staff Restrooms

500 sq. ft.

Building Support Subtotal

2,600 sq. ft.

Total Building

PROGRAMMATIC SPACE, SUBTOTAL

24,000 sq. ft.

Services at 25%
(corridors, mechanical, elevators and other service)

6,000 sq. ft.

TOTAL BUILDING

30,000 sq. ft.

Site

The site for the competition is the choice of the student and/or faculty sponsor. Submissions will be required to explain the site selection, strategy, and access graphically or otherwise.

Construction Type

The primary structural system must be concrete masonry. This can be an architectural block, single-wythe concrete masonry or multi-wythe, with the backup being CMU. Participants are encouraged to consider innovative ways to use concrete masonry products in interior, exterior, and la卢ndscape applications. Outdoor spaces can include concrete masonry (such as screen or privacy walls) as well as other dry-cast concrete products, such as concrete pavers and segmental retaining wall units.

Concrete Masonry Units (CMU)

CMU are manufactured using dry-cast concrete on high-speed manufacturing equipment. CMU are manufactured using dry-cast concrete on high-speed manufacturing equipment. CMU can be a standard 鈥済rey鈥 block and can also be manufactured to provide a wide range of aesthetic finishes, colors, and textures. They can be used for both structural and non-structural applications, such as anchored veneers, and can be used as an exterior and interior finish material. CMU assemblies are durable, inherently resilient and non-combustible, have high thermal mass, which helps with energy efficiency and can be incorporated into passive solar designs, and have excellent sound performance. CMU have low embodied carbon due to their manufacturing process and are highly recyclable at the end of the building鈥檚 life.

There are several American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications that cover concrete masonry products. The primary one is ASTM C90, Standard Specification for Loadbearing Concrete Masonry Units.

Additional Concrete Products

The manufacturing process for CMU is also used to make a variety of other types of products, including segmental retaining wall (SRW) and concrete paving units. These are primarily used in hardscape applications (residentially, commercially, and more).

Competition Organizers & Sponsors

Edwin Hern谩ndez-Ventura
Awards and Competitions Manager
ehernandez@acsa-arch.org
202.785.2324

Eric W. Ellis
Senior Director of Operations and Programs
eellis@acsa-arch.org
202-785-2324