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| Designs revealed for the Annette Strauss Artist Square, Dallas The Annette Strauss Artist Square will create a lively, welcoming public space in front of the Winspear Opera House, also designed by Foster + Partners. A key part of the wider masterplan for the area that will see the creation of a whole new Performing Arts District for Dallas, the new square will serve both as a venue for popular music, dance and events, as well as playing a vital role in bringing the world-class performances of the Dallas Symphony and Opera to a wider audience. In keeping with the Winspear's reinvention of the opera house for the twenty-first century, the new square is intended to attract a wide public – of all ages and musical tastes – and will help to ensure that the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts becomes a popular destination for the whole community, as well as the vehicle for the continued support and growth of all of the performing arts in the city. Construction is progressing well on the Winspear Opera House, the focal point for the new district. Organisationally, the Winspear reinvents the opera house for a new century, creating a transparent, publicly welcoming series of spaces that wrap around the rich red-stained drum of the 2,200-seat auditorium. The ambition is to create a building that will not only be fully integrated with the cultural life of Dallas, but will become a destination in its own right for the non-opera going public, with a restaurant, café and bookstore that will be open throughout the day. Entered beneath a deeply overhanging canopy, which shades the outdoor spaces from the harsh Texan sun, the transition from the plaza, through the foyer, into the auditorium is designed to heighten the drama of attending a performance – in effect, 'to take the theatre to the audience'. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Construction News :: home page |