EwingCole has received the Grand Award for outstanding educational facility design in the 20th Anniversary Fall 2011 Edition of Learning by Design, the premier biannual guide that showcases innovative school and university design and construction projects. Recognized for the innovative design of the Zankel Music Center, Skidmore College, EwingCole is one of only three architecture firms to receive a Grand Award in the Fall 2011 design competition.
Learning by Design judges commended EwingCole for successfully integrating Zankel Music Center into an existing campus. The building complements Skidmore College's campus plan by providing the fourth side of a quadrangle and creating an amphitheater in the center. A dramatic, three-story-high glass wall at the back of the stage in the main concert hall brings the surrounding woodlands into the performing arts space.
A wide glass atrium at the center of the building divides the performance areas from the instructional spaces and provides a brightly lit window onto the music inside.
"This is a great honor and a testimony to the visionary leadership of our client at Skidmore," said William McCullough, EwingCole's Higher Education Practice Leader, "as well as the work of our design team."