AISD Performing Arts Center

A dramatic, maple-clad auditorium rises from within a translucent box adjoining opaque support spaces. A metal ribbon wraps the street-level elevations and widens to become a two-story entrance porch at the corner. A landscaped plaza and amphitheater are comfortably nestled between the building and parking structure. In addition to the main 1,200-seat auditorium, the facility has a 250-seat black box theater, 4,690-square-foot dance studio, 2,600-square-foot multipurpose room, kiln room, and recording studio.

Set in the dynamic, sustainable Mueller development, the Austin Independent School District’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) is a significant place for community cultural performances for students, staff and families in Austin. Able to host dance, theatrical and musical events of all sizes, the building offers the power to create shared community experiences in the arts while providing a space for student explorations of self-discovery and creativity.

By day, the PAC’s translucent box floods the interior with abundant natural light. At night, the glowing jewel box façade signifies the exuberance within and the valuable role of the arts in the Mueller neighborhood and Austin community. The building is welcoming, exciting, and joyous inside and out, providing an important cultural anchor for the entire development. The PAC offers a combination of lively design and highly sustainable construction that serves as a successful model for civic green building practices. – Riley Triggs, AIA