A monumental entrance staircase, slotted into the cube’s western corner, leads up to the main level with a bar and cafe.
Silman provided services for this 138-foot-tall steel-framed building in collaboration with Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), the lead structural engineer. The Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center is designed as a physical anchor for New York City’s downtown arts communities. MKA was responsible for the cube-shaped theater’s outer shell, while Silman was responsible for the design of the acoustically isolated interior theaters as well as construction administration services.
The building’s three theaters, ranging in capacity from 100 to 500 seats, are able to host simultaneous productions or be combined into larger venues by opening oversized acoustic doors. The acoustic isolation requirements required close coordination between the structural, MEP, architecture, and theater design teams and all trades on site. Other spaces include rehearsal rooms and administrative offices.