Our project team initially set out to master plan the University of Dallas’ campus and develop a vision for their future growth and facilities development. After the initial master planning efforts and development of overarching campus design standards, the team set out on the programming and conceptual design for a new performing arts center located at the main entry point to the campus.

The new center includes a 500-seat concert | lecture hall, a 130-seat drama theater with a thrust stage, a large reception space to house university events, core curriculum areas for music and theater, and all the critical support spaces required for the performance halls. Located directly adjacent to the school’s welcome center, the new facility will be perched at the top of a hill with great visibility and connectivity to the rest of the campus and acts as a beacon for visitors upon arrival to the historic university. The strategic placement also serves as a gateway, connecting the east and west campus and providing highly sought after outdoor gathering and study space for all university students.

Great attention and care were taken to design a new campus jewel piece that is forward thinking and supports the vision of leadership within the university, while paying homage to the architectural legacy of Oneil Ford who was instrumental in the early growth and development of the university. Several workshops with tenured professors, historians, students, and administrators were held to establish a vision for growth and an appropriate architectural style moving forward. The project is currently in early fundraising stages.