Arch Tour Fest: Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center | 11AM

Photo Credit: Nic Lehoux

Arch Tour Fest: Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center | 11AM

Arch Tour Fest – Full List of Tours Here

This is an in-person tour. Attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination. Please read and check the agreement and safety boxes in the registration. Additional information regarding the tour and check-in process will be emailed directed to registrants 24 hours before the event. Tickets are non-transferable.

Architecture Firm: AUX Architecture

CES Learning Units: 1 LU

Tickets Available Below & Passes Available Here

Take a tour of the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Venue located on the campus of Vista Del Mar. Vista Del Mar is a non-profit organization that works with kids and families coping with learning and behavioral challenges. The project is a remodel of, and addition to, a 1950s-era Temple situated at the center of the campus. The historic Temple was repurposed into a 300-seat theater and educational building that houses a therapeutic dance program. The building is designed as a series of vignettes that express music and dance.

A translucent polycarbonate façade, made of 35% recycled plastic, wraps around the existing building to create a glowing center for the campus while achieving high levels of durability and sustainability. Directly behind the façade, a series of rhythmic columns create an interplay of light and shadow. The resulting gradient pattern works in conjunction with the primary stair and lobby that vary in width (in plan) to create a sense of compression and expansion. This concept drew inspiration from “Lamentation,” the Martha Graham dance piece in which a dancer struggles within a garment, and as a metaphor for the struggles many students with Autism go through every day.

The building has comfortable spaces for flexible learning, color palettes in light tones, and acoustic systems that aid those with sound sensitivity. New production support areas and accessory spaces eliminate the traditional classroom model. Designed to be used for multiple purposes, rooms may be a classroom by morning, rehearsal space by day and green room by night. The venue is designed to draw neighbors to the heart of the campus when hosting community events, and to showcase the non-profit’s mission to empower regional youth and families.

General Contractor: Shawmut Design and Construction
Project Management: Gardiner & Theobald
Structural Engineer: Nous Engineering
Civil Engineer: VCA Engineers
MEP: South Coast Engineering
Theater, Audio/Visual, Theatrical Lighting, Security, Acoustics: Idibiri
Lighting Design: KGM Architectural Lighting
Signage: Newsom Gonzalez
Landscape Design: SQLA

Tour Led By:

Brian Wickersham, AIA, Founding Partner, AUX Architecture

Brian Wickersham, AIA, is the founding partner of AUX Architecture. With more than twenty years of experience, he creates meaningful spaces that promote creativity and community. Bringing both rigor and spontaneity to his designs, he cultivates research and collaboration in his Los Angeles studio to produce bespoke architecture that best serves client needs. He likens this robust process to jazz: improvisational and collective.

AUX Architecture’s diverse body of work includes award-winning residential and multifamily homes, retail environments, art galleries, and education and cultural arts centers. Notable projects include the Saddle Peak Residence, which uses natural materials and sustainable approaches to connect the house to the surrounding landscape, and the luminous, community minded Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Brian strives to mitigate architecture’s impact on the environment. He integrates care and sustainability into all aspects of the studio. He is a licensed architect in California and Nevada, NCARB certified, and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Learning Objectives:

+ Participants will learn about the unique polycarbonate façade system and the benefits it provides the building from a sustainability perspective.
+ Participants will learn strategies on how to design spaces for students with learning challenges.
+ Participants will learn about building systems required for a performing arts program and building.
+ Participants will learn how the flexible design space allows for multiple purposes.