Cincinnati Public Schools Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education / School for the Creative and Performing Arts Cincinnati, Ohio 2011 School Planning.

Cincinnati Public Schools Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education /

School for the Creative and Performing Arts

Cincinnati, Ohio2011 School Planning & Architectural Exhibition

AwardsNew Construction

Moody•Nolan

2011 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture

Cincinnati Public Schools Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education

Main Exterior Image

Cincinnati Public Schools Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education

Community EnvironmentThis is the first public K-12 arts school in the United States and is both publicly and privately funded. The scope of this project would not have been possible without the partnership of the private sector’s involvement. The administration is always looking for additional ways to have touring professionals: artists, performers, musicians and others, to participate in sharing the venues provided in this building. Many parents and other industry professionals from the community were active in the organization and planning phases of the final facility design and functionality. The Greater Cincinnati Arts and Education Center (GCAEC), was the private sector partner and co-donor for the facility. The Core Group of leadership formed for School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) were financial managers, construction managers, and architects as well as the entire design team and representatives from CPS and Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC).

The project is expected to serve as a further catalyst for the neighborhood’s revival. Upon the school’s completion in 2010, the City of Cincinnati embarked upon a major renovation and upgrading of Washington Park. Washington Park is immediately north of the school’s site. It is one of the many examples of facilities renovating and or upgrading their sites in the immediate context of the school’s neighborhood. It is not just a school to attend but it is a viable, thriving place to learn performing and visual arts. The faculty’s goal is to fully prepare and equip the students to graduate and proceed into a successful career in their chosen specialty. SCPA is another focal point in the arts community and is within a close proximity to the famed Music Hall. The facility, in a sense, anchors the arts community on the southern edge of Washington Park. In addition, students often host performances or displays available to the public.

Learning EnvironmentIn an interview just prior to his passing, Erich Kunzel’s true passion for the dream is portrayed. The main concept of the building was to centrally locate it within the performing community, giving students easy access to arts professions. Over-the-Rhine is home to many of the premier art institutions of the region. Each varying specialty program has individuals that will come and participate in sessions to further enhance opportunities for creative learning in this environment. No teacher limits the manner of education available to the students. If a student finds a way of instruction that sustains the education model for the school, it is made available to them. The staff and teaching faculty are continually engaged in advancement of their student’s knowledge and skill set. This delivers a diversified, creative environment,

producing society’s next performing specialists. The theatrical students’ production effort is second to none, as the general public is invited to view the events housed within the school’s own performance venues. These types of events are to train and give opportunities for each student to test their own viability for their desired specialty. Coupled with completion of a production, many opportunities are presented to further enhance the student’s preparation for success in their future. The teaching faculty at SCPA is consistently made aware of advancements in technology, performance specializations and new techniques of delivery methods. The key to maintaining success for this school is to have the leadership of the arts community serve as members of the school’s governing board through GCAEC. They work to effectively lead this school in a great direction.

Physical EnvironmentThe building is 253,000 sq. ft. Within the facility are strategically designed areas for the individual student to actively engage in the creative learning process. Kindergarten students have specialized areas to support arts enrichment education specifically for their age group. This creates a great progression of arts education in each student’s respective area of interest. Music practice often times occurs in some of the extended learning areas developed throughout the building. This crossover of arts and education lends itself to the great synergy Erich Kunzel described. High performance glazing along with high solar reflective index roofing was used to reduce cooling loads. Stainless steel and zinc metal panels utilize recycled content and have a more than 50-year material life span. State of the art technologies used for the building control system assists in reducing excessive energy consumption.

Respectful of the neighborhood, the school’s façades adhere to the Cincinnati Historic Conservation Board’s guidelines. The surrounding neighborhood’s building context is primarily masonry construction. Keeping with this vernacular, the school has masonry veneer, but to reveal the contemporary nature of this facility, an “Urban Curve” was introduced. Stainless steel organized in a pattern and zinc metal panels are situated along building’s exterior façade serving as a counterpoint to the more traditional brick contextual façade. The southwest façade curves back from the masonry context, revealing the main 750-seat theatre covered in stainless steel panels. The five-story school also features a 300-seat theater for more intimate settings and a flexible black-box theater. The theatrical spaces are serviced by a back of house scene shop, costume design shop, lighting lab and sound studio. Inspirational and private areas are contained in the same building to support both the arts and the academics.

Planning Process

Representatives from Moody•Nolan, CR architecture + design, Fanning & Howey, Cincinnati Public Schools, Ohio School Facilities Commission, GCAEC and Turner Construction were part of the process.Stakeholder’s interests were accounted for in developing the Program of Requirements. The programmed square footage was reduced to a 250,000 sq. ft. total and $10 million was added to the budget. The planning team also developed and maintained the cost model for the budget. Estimates and reconciliation for the cost estimate at 50 percent and 100 percent stages of each design phase kept all the spaces on target with the budget. This enabled the design team to maintain the desired learning environments for the students to become reality.  GCAEC was mindful that the Board of Education had certain criteria that needed to be met for the education model to be successful. This co-management and sensitivity fostered

the growth of this private/public partnership into a fully functioning project team. Setting up a governance agreement, to help govern the administration of SCPA, was one very successful avenue used for maintaining the desired results from the private sector without any sacrifice of academic value as the school continues to grow in the future. GCAEC will have seats on the school’s governing board and will have input on issues like the hiring of the Provost and Principal for this school. Immediate needs and future governing issues are contained in this agreement which establishes a new kind of public/private sector partnership to support the new SCPA. Throughout each phase of the project, the core group continued to meet monthly to keep all parties accountable to each other from the planning phase through occupancy. This method sustained the dream and vision initiated by Erich Kunzel.

Floor plan

Insert large format floor planNote: Please add additional slides for additional floors

Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2010 Project Data

Submitting Firm Moody•NolanProject Role Lead ArchitectProject Contact Curtis J. Moody, FAIA, NCARB, LEED APTitle President & CEOAddress 300 Spruce Street Suite 300City, State or Province, Country Columbus, Ohio 43215Phone 614-461-4664

Joint Partner Firm: CR Architecture + DesignProject Role Architect of RecordProject Contact Christie Boron, AIA, LEED APTitle Education Team Leader, Project ArchitectAddress 600 Vine Street, Suite 2210City, State or Province, Country Cincinnati, Ohio 45202Phone 513-721-8080

Other Firm: Fanning HoweyProject Role Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Technology and Fire

Protection EngineerProject Contact Terry LietteTitle Director of EngineeringAddress 540 East Main StreetCity, State or Province, Country Celina, Ohio 45822Phone 419-586-7771Construction Firm: Turner/DAG/TYSProject Role Construction ManagerProject Contact Bill HuberTitle Senior Project ManagerAddress 250 West Court Street, Suite 300City, State or Province, Country Cincinnati, Ohio 45202Phone 513-721-4224

Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture 2010 Project Details

Project Name Cincinnati Public Schools Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education

City  Cincinnati

State  Ohio

District Name  Cincinnati Public Schools

Supt/President  Mary A. Ronan

Occupancy Date  June 6, 2010

Grades Housed  K-12

Capacity(Students)  1,350

Site Size (acres)  3.2 acres

Gross Area (sq. ft.)  253,717 sq. ft.

Per Occupant(pupil)  176 sq. ft.

gross/net please indicate  gross

Design and Build?  Yes

If yes, Total Cost:  $62,000,000

Includes:  All hard and soft costs, excludes land acquisition

If no,  

Site Development:  

Building Construction:  

Fixed Equipment:  

Other:  

Total:  $72 million

The late Erich Kunzel discusses working with Curt Moody(Please click black box to press play)