PROJECT SIZE: 127,000 SQ FT
PROJECT COST: $0
The Atlanta Puppetry Arts is a museum and performance space for the preservation and presentation of puppetry. Propelled by increasing visitor demand and significant gifts from the Jim Henson family, the expanded facility is a phased addition to the repurposed high school which has served as its home since inception. The project adds significant exhibit, performance, and educational facilities to better meet the institution’s operational mission while manifesting a strong and palpable presence within the growing cultural district of Atlanta.
The program is broken into simple bars, or “fingers”, each sized according to the spatial needs best suited to individual spaces: galleries, dining, atrium, circulation, theaters, administration, etc. These “fingers” gently bend up and down to accommodate the sloping nature of the site and functional requirements: rising up to form an entry, sloping downward to accommodate vehicles underground, lifting up at the rooftop to form stepped amphitheater seating, or penetrating downward into the earth to bring vertical circulation to arriving visitors coming out of the parking garage.
The institution and the building embody the theatrical and playful spirit of puppetry. Animated and iconic. Mysterious and magical. Playful yet poignant. The facility to house the Puppetry Arts is a building worthy of their vision - and its unique place among cultural institutions both nationally and globally. Like a theatrical set, the building stands apart from its surroundings, bringing visibility to the institution and a bold form that will be the centerpiece of their new branding. The building signals to visitors, both young and old, that they are about to enter a special world of wonder and magic. With select apertures and perforated metal skin, the facility transforms from solid building by day to a diaphanous shell by night....more
CREDITS
:Design Architect: The Freelon Group
Architect of Record: Collins Cooper Carusi
Entertainment and Conceptualization: Thinkwell
