Magnificent acoustics and quiet elegance are the hallmarks of DePaul University’s new performing arts facility. The Holtschneider Performance Center serves as the next phase of a new complex dedicated to serving the needs of hundreds of music students, while also hosting the world-class performances of multiple artists. Part of the design and selection process included the installation of the new resilient Tufftec^® lockers from Scranton Products.

Magnificent acoustics and quiet elegance are the hallmarks of DePaul University’s new $98 million, 185,000-square-foot performing arts facility. Completed in the summer of 2018, the Holtschneider Performance Center serves as the next phase of a new complex dedicated to serving the needs of hundreds of music students, while hosting the world-class performances of multiple artists simultaneously.

Rob Roubik, a Principal at Antunovich Associates in Chicago said, “The new center is a technologically advanced, aesthetically sleek performing arts center that meets the wide-ranging music needs of students, faculty and the surrounding community. It was specifically and painstakingly designed with clean lines and wood-paneled rooms that surround a wide-open, three-story atrium, which places the building’s focus solely on music and not the venue.”

Meticulously constructed with a profound emphasis on acoustics and learning, the new facility was designed to comfortably seat more than 800 patrons in four separate performance spaces, while indulging the musical talents of students, staff and faculty. This includes simultaneous access to the 505-seat Mary Patricia Gannon Concert Hall, the 140-seat Murray and Michele Allen Recital Hall, the 80-seat Brennan Family Recital Hall, and the 75-seat Mary A. Dempsey and Philip H. Corboy Jazz Hall. Other amenities are offered through the building’s new state-of-the-art rehearsal spaces, sound recording technology suite, box office, atrium café, social commons area and dynamic and flexible teaching spaces.

In addition, the student classrooms and rehearsal areas were strategically positioned on the upper floors to accommodate the strict functional and acoustic requirements of the facility’s double- and triple-height performance spaces. To create a bright, vibrant atmosphere for students and visitors alike, each floor was also painted a different accent color and complemented with dark carpeting and neutral gray tones.

“This magnificent facility resulted from 10 years of planning,” explains Roubik. “The grand opening was a spectacular event that included an 11-day festival of performances from faculty, students and world-class artists. Everyone involved couldn’t have been prouder or happier with the finished product. As an institutional project, budgets were certainly a concern. The specification process was long and rigid. But, in the end everyone was especially pleased with how the building’s elegant motif harmoniously merged with the school’s artistic nature.”

According to Roubik, the selection process included the careful specification of everything from angled sound reflective walls and acoustically isolated floors to the installation of the new resilient Tufftec^® Lockers from Scranton Products. Among the many selling points was each locker’s ability to open and close quietly in an environment extremely sensitive to acoustics, noise and sound, while securely storing musical instruments ranging from flutes and clarinets to trombones and tubas.

Throughout the complex, more than 500 light gray lockers were installed in multiple sizes ranges. Engineered for strength and durability, Tufftec’s HDPE material is specifically designed to withstand the harshest daily use in addition to being low maintenance and easy to clean. The lockers are also impact, dent and graffiti resistant as well as impervious to moisture. With 25 – 100% post-consumer recycled content, Tufftec’s HDPE is naturally resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew.

“The new Tufftec lockers met every requirement,” adds Roubik. “We were immediately struck by how quietly they operate – there wasn’t the usual banging and clanging associated with metal lockers. Plus, Scranton Products met our size requirements for storing virtually every type of instrument used at the school. Everyone from the client and contractor to our theatrical and acoustic consultants were thrilled with the outcome.”