New music rehearsal, recording and performance spaces and renovated existing facilities to accommodate expanded film school, including recording, screening, and editing for digital and video filming applications.
17,400 sq. ft.
Cost N/A
2002-04

Renovations and additions to the two-building Avery Blum complex at Bard College permit significant expansion of the Music Department facilities and a new home for the Film Department, fully meeting the requirements of both departments.   The work includes 17,400 new square feet of space linking Blum and Avery together, designed entirely for Music Department use.   Completing the Blum scope of work will be minor renovations to the existing Blum building, a steel-and-fabric tensile entry canopy linking the two entrances of the complex, a refurbishing of the courtyard for use as an amphitheater for film and music presentations, and an expansion of the existing onsite parking lot.

The existing Avery building is well suited to Film Department use. It combines adequate area with high redundancy of interior layout from the previous Drama and Dance Department use.   New work will provide for screening room and projection facilities, and upgrading of mechanical and electrical systems.

The new Blum addition is a two-story masonry structure providing a wide-range of room types for the Music Department.   Electronic and acoustic recording and performance space, classroom and practice spaces, instrument storage and faculty offices are among the primary program functions.   Most rooms are acoustically buffered, with recording and performance spaces designed to their appropriate acoustic specifications. The new building will also complete the enclosure of an informal outdoor amphitheater and courtyard useful to Film, Music, and perhaps Drama Department uses.

A new portico and redesigned courtyard provides the pedestrian approach to the Avery Blum Complex with a unified and dynamic appearance for the entire facility.