Performing Arts School

This performing arts school would be located in South Boston on the site of an existing, outdated elementary school. The design is separated into two masses, one being a strict box for classrooms, facillities, and administration, and the other being the more creative arts center with an auditorium and various studios. They are connected by a lower plan floor that opens directly to an outdoor amphitheatre and features light wells that illuminate an indoor art gallery. The second mass is much more expressive, with the auditorium appearing to emerge from the ground and a large shell holds the program in a unified mass. The circulation in the two masses are visible from the exterior and therefore have a visual connection that continues into the lower level, creating a loop of circulation that allows students to move between the two masses without needing to be exposed to the cold winter winds.