Slated to open early next year, Oregon State University’s new $75 million Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts, also known as PRAx, represents the university’s commitment to integrating the arts and humanities into to its already prestigious reputation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
OREGON CULTURAL HUBS: An Occasional Series
What informed the design of the PRAx building, according to Executive Vice President of OSU Edward Feser, was a very streamlined arts program. The plan wasn’t to build a full-scale building to compete with other arts programs at different universities, but to create a space where students could use and interact with the building to support their educational mission. “We wanted to think about areas of the arts where OSU could be uniquely distinct,” Feser said. “That’s when we started to think about the integration of the arts with science and engineering.”
The PRAx building will provide STEM students the opportunity to receive a unique understanding of the world through the arts. “We’re going to try to bring in artists who are using data rich and computationally rich visualizations, performances, technology, and so on, as part of a focus around PRAx,” Feser noted.
A building with a language of its own
The 49,000 square-foot building was designed by Holst Architecture, an award-winning, women-owned architecture firm located in Portland. “We shortlisted six firms,” said University Architect and Director Libby Ramirez, “but Holst had that little extra where we knew they were going to bring us something special.”
Although Holst has worked with OSU in the past, PRAx is the firm’s first performance and visual arts building, so the firm partnered with New York City firm H3 Architecture, whose portfolio includes a number of arts facilities, including renovations to Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater and the iconic Radio City Music Hall.
The design of PRAx took roughly 18 to 24 months to create. “We’ve got three main components: a gallery, a (concert) hall, and a black box theater,” Holst principal Dave Otte explained, “so arranging those three major elements within the crossroads of circulation in a way that made sense and was efficient started to create a language of how the building was going to be shaped.”
For example, the Lynne Hallstrom Detrick Concert Hall was designed to be in the middle of the building where the roof reaches its tallest point. That way the firm could decrease the size of the building as it reached the edges, to minimize the impact that the building had on campus, according to Otte. “We wanted to feel like a friendly, approachable building,” said Otte.
The firm chose brick masonry for the design, because it’s similar to a lot of other buildings on the university campus. However, they chose “lighter, creamier” colors, as opposed to reddish ones, in order to tie the building to its more immediate surroundings, sitting near the McAlexander Fieldhouse and heating plant on campus. According to Otte, brick masonry was used for the most “workhorse” parts of the building: the back of the building, the gallery, and the very solid parts of the building.
Wood was used as a warmer material to counteract the creamier brick masonry, and was utilized in the more public-facing and active parts of the building. “The wood always signifies points where you interact with the building and come into the building,” Otte said. A dark-stained wood was used in areas where it could be exposed to the weather, allowing it to develop a patina – a gloss or sheen on the surface acquired through age and exposure. Wood with a “lighter, more golden tone” was used in areas to signify entry points or points of engagement.
Universal accessibility
“The whole building was designed with universal design principles,” said PRAx Director Peter Betjemann. This includes ensuring accessibility for all people regardless of disability, as well as adhering to requirements for sustainable development. The elevator shafts have doors on both sides, providing wheelchair accessibility, as well as wheelchair spaces, bariatric seats, and swing arm seats in the concert hall. Sensory kits will be available for people who need them, along with a quiet room. In addition, there will be a lactation room providing private space for nursing mothers.
“There’s a lot that I’m really proud of,” noted Libby Ramirez. “We set out at the very beginning of this project to make a building that is universally accessible to all.”
Sustainable development
Oregon State University has their own requirements for sustainable development (RSD), which is a point-based standard for building projects on campus as of March 2019. According to the RSD, projects are encouraged to meet a minimum point threshold of 60 percent overall, emphasizing measures that reduce energy consumption and long-term costs.
The flooring of PRAx was made with durable, long-standing material that will last for the life of the building. The exposed wood was treated preservatives so it won’t easily break down. Solar panels were placed on the roof of the building that will accommodate 15 to 20 percent of the electrical service.
In addition, Hoffman Construction Company, the general contractor that is building PRAx, has recycled about 90 percent of their construction waste.
Cutting edge art facilities
In the 425-seat concert hall, they do not have a curtain, wings, or fly space. According to Betjemann, there are acoustic downsides to implementing those components. Jaffe Holden, an acoustic engineering company, was subcontracted to help build acoustic panels for multiple venues in the PRAx building, mainly the concert hall. Holden’s acoustic design methods include achieving suitable reverberation time, enhancing desirable sound reflections and maintaining or controlling loudness levels throughout spaces. An acoustician from Holden visited the site to take measurements and collect information to mitigate any interfering sound from outside PRAx, including the train that goes through OSU campus.
“We anticipate this is going to be one of the finest halls in the northwest,” declared Betjemann.
There is also the Kate and John Stirek Gallery, a 3,000-square-foot space that will feature three-month long exhibitions based on annual themes related to art and science, as well as performance arts pieces and humanities panels that relate to the specified theme. The gallery will have windows which will open up the space to make it feel more inviting, less intimidating, and also allow passersby to peer through them and view the art. “UV light is hard on artworks, so we had to take steps to manage that problem,” Betjemann said. “But that’s very worth it because we want people to feel welcomed.” As part of that effort, the gallery will be open free to both students and the general public.
PRAx also includes the Edward J. Ray Theater, a black box theater with 165 seats, featuring a tension grid for a variety of purposes including technical theater classes. This venue will feature performances involving traditional theater and immersive theater, as well as involving experimental performances which showcase virtual reality and motion capture.
The rehearsal building – remodeled from a firing range – will even function as a full-time classroom, while other venues in the building will be used as classrooms part-time.
In the concert hall and theater, 25 percent of seats will be sold as student tickets for $5. However, for professional shows that aren’t sold out, tickets will be available to students for free. Student performances will always be free for students. Ticket prices for performances by PRAx artists and visiting artists can be found on the PRAx event calendar.
“Research shows that creative modes of engaging with questions, problems, and thinking is really good for students,” Betjemann noted. “In some ways, we’ve thought about PRAx as the last piece in a truly comprehensive research university. A robust arts program running parallel to its robust technical, academic, engineering, and science programs.”
To read more about the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts and plans for the April 6, 2024 grand opening celebration, visit Gabe Braukman’s recent Oregon ArtsWatch story PRAx Facts: OSU’s Patricia Valian Reser Center is a transformative Investment in the Arts.
Alexander Banks is a journalism student at Oregon State University. Outside of freelancing, he also works as a news contributor and columnist for The Daily Barometer, a student-run newspaper at the university. He enjoys photography, photo and video editing, graphic design, and watching movies in his free time. He is also an introvert and cat lover.