Hasta La Ideas

Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo has designed the Doris Duke Theater at Massachusetts dance venue Jacob’s Pillow to replace the previous theatre lost to a fire in 2020.

Located in the Berkshires, the theatre will more than double the size of the former 8,500-square-foot (789-square-metre) building and will feature integrated technology such as body-tracking infrared cameras and robotics.

“The new theatre aims to become one of the world’s most technologically advanced dance venues, providing a maker space for artists seeking to integrate artificial intelligence, extended reality, robotics, and immersive platforms into live performance,” Jacob’s Pillow said.

Other technology integrated into the building includes a spatial audio system, infrared camera tracking for “interactive video content” and live interaction with video projections, with consultation led by technology consultants Charcoalblue.

The building will be constructed using a mass timber structure and thermally treated pine. It will feature a rounded lower-level podium with a multi-level square volume placed on top, and renders also depict a green roof atop the base.

Its design will incorporate rain harvesting and a veranda for natural shading as a “quiet gesture of harmony between sustainability and design”, Jacob’s Pillow said.

Its main theatre will accommodate 220 to 400 guests, while other spaces will host performances, events, artist residencies, and other programming.

“Inspired by Mecanoo’s core values of ‘people, place, purpose, and poetry,’ the new theatre captures the essence of dance, not only as an art form but as a deeply human experience intertwined with the landscape and community,” said Mecanoo founding partner Francine Houben.

“Rooted in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, the theatre honours the rich heritage of Jacob’s Pillow while pushing the frontiers of the performing arts,” she added. “The design draws on the rhythms of nature, mirroring the fluidity and grace of dancers.”

New York architecture studio Marvel designed the project’s landscape and Jeffrey Gibson, Choctaw/Cherokee, is serving as a consultant on the theatre’s relationship to the site and Indigenous values.

According to Jacob’s Pillow, the design “nurtures” a connection between performing arts and nature, while also honouring the area’s Indigenous history.

It will feature a communal quad on one side and to the other, a landscape that “celebrates Indigenous knowledge” that will feature a garden and communal fire pit.

The project is expected to open in July 2025 as part of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Construction is underway.

The previous building burned down in 2020 due to “undetermined” circumstances.

Other theatre projects include a mass-timber structure for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival by Studio Gang and the revamp of a stage on a small island in Montreal by Lemay.

The images are courtesy of Mecanoo Architects and Marvel.

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