University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts Welcome Center

The Welcome Center invites visitors and new students as a gateway to this nationally prominent school for the visual and performing arts. The design conveys the school’s creative vitality and mission, while informing the aesthetic design of subsequent campus development.

Varied material treatments express the difference between public facing functions and the more private work occurring in administrative offices. Movement through the building unfolds in a series of experiences beginning in the lantern-like main entrance. Playfully placed openings provide episodic glimpses of the center’s artwork and lead visitors to a quieter conference center, which anchors the administrative area. The tall, open reception room leads to a theater. A long gallery houses projects from the school’s seven disciplines.