Best Higher Education/Research: Lenfest Hall Updates World-Class Conservatory
The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists.
The new $48.5-million Lenfest Hall honors the streetscape of a historic block in Philadelphia by preserving and restoring the fronts of two 19th-century townhouses.
A third building between the two historic structures was demolished, and a new structure was built both behind and between the old townhouse facades.
The new four-story facade provides continuity with the townhouses. The additional five floors that house the student residences are set back from the street-level portion of the building.
The new building houses dining rooms, a kitchen, a student lounge, teaching studios, a rehearsal hall, an outdoor terrace and student residences.
A centerpiece of the new building is the Gould Rehearsal Hall, which serves as the primary rehearsal space for the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. The space incorporates numerous soundproofing and isolation strategies, including box-in-box construction and floating floors.
Curtis Institute of Music - Lenfest HallPhiladelphia
Key Players
General Contractor: INTECH Construction, Philadelphia
Owner: Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
Lead Design: Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Philadelphia
Structural Engineer: Keast & Hood Company, Philadelphia
MEP: Marvin Waxman Consulting Engineers, Philadelphia
Acoustical Engineer: Metropolitan Acoustics, Philadelphia
Submitted by: INTECH Construction
