Architecture as Art – for the Arts
PACE: Theatricality Is Our Metaphor
There are certain kinds of buildings that are iconic, buildings whose very form announces their unique purpose. For hundreds of years great churches and cathedrals have reached toward the heavens with their spires. Our most majestic courts echo the classical architecture of Rome, where law was invented, and our capitol domes aspire to be the seats of wisdom and thoughtful consideration. Such buildings are not just pretty nor merely practical; they're metaphorical and inspiring. They proclaim their lofty ambitions to both the visitor and the passerby. Such buildings interact with the experience they enfold.
Theatres and concert halls also have a unique purpose. In the largest sense, they exist to perpetuate the practice and enjoyment of the arts. Theatre and music and dance are, along with the visual arts collected in our museums, the hallmarks of human civilization - bridging the perceived differences of nationality, ethnicity and religion, and perpetuating mankind's story. What goes on in a theatre isn't day-to-day life, but a "heightened experience," artfully conceived to entertain – to inspire, provoke, amuse, enlighten and engage us.
All The World's A Stage …
The design of Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE) uses theatricality as its metaphor. Architect Norman Pfeiffer has conceived it as a scenographic experience from the outside, where alternating panels appear to hang like curtains or scenery, forming prosceniums along the façade. Light peeks through "curtains" parted at the corner. Patrons are seen moving through the lobbies, in windows, and on balconies, appearing and disappearing like actors on a stage. At the same time, those looking out from the inside have a constantly changing view of the surrounding city and the human drama outside, removed from the street and yet still connected to it.
A gentle ramp offers patrons a promenade up into the realm of the heightened experience of the theatre where they become part of the metaphor, brought closer to the interplay between the stage and the world at large as they move on and off the successive stages. The ramp lifts patrons from the street, giving precedence to the theatrical event and separating them from everyday activity. The interior is constantly revealed and concealed, creating a surprising dynamic for both the outside-looking-in and the inside-looking-out.
Color projects from the interior as colored walls and lighting create dramatic effects that change from day to night and season to season. Balconies reach out to engage the city and its views. Viewed from the street, PACE is warm and welcoming, intriguing and distinctive. Its asymmetrical play of volumes and surfaces speaks to the scale of the city around it and creates an object with its own, unique figurative presence. It differentiates itself from the architecture of the adjacent commercial and residential towers, announcing its bold and artful purpose.
The practical purpose of a performing arts center, of course, is to bring large numbers of people together to share the experience of a live performance. Interior spaces must combine both the comfort sought by patrons and the practical needs of advanced stage technology. Ultimately, the artist and the audience will come together in the same room. But first, a tractor-trailer backs up to unload sets, costumes and props. Soon, 2,000 people in festive dress stroll in to sit in comfort, with perfect sightlines to the stage. Overhead hundreds of lighting instruments, microphones, curtains, and scenic elements are in place, ready to dazzle the audience. A hush. The lights dim. The curtain rises. This is no ordinary room. This is no ordinary building.
PACE is a flexible, multidisciplinary theatre, equally adaptable to the diverse needs of a symphony orchestra, jazz combo, Broadway show, string quartet, pop singer, chorus, soloist, or dance company. Adjustable acoustics showcase both amplified and unamplified performances, from spoken word to brass band. With one of the largest stages in the region and state-of-the-art technology, the audience size can be comfortably scaled from fewer than 750 to its 2,000-seat capacity.
As befits a new building with a community and cultural purpose, PACE is also a "Green Building," incorporating materials and technologies designed to reduce its environmental impact.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of PACE, however, is the way it is connected to the thriving urban environment in which it is set. Bellevue is fast becoming the "downtown of the Eastside." The density and diversity of retail, office, dining, and residential opportunities is, quite simply, stunning. And PACE is positioned at the heart of this burgeoning city: physically connected to 10,000 free, covered parking spaces, more than 200 retail stores, over 30 fine restaurants, and a first-class hotel, and within easy walking distance for as many as 10,000 residents of surrounding condos and apartments.
This is PACE. A jewel in Bellevue's crown. The cultural heart of the Eastside. Home to regional performing arts groups and national and international artists. A mirror that reflects the vibrancy, diversity, sophistication, openness, and dreams of our growing community. A vital part of our emerging, distinctive identity.