When it comes to engaging with the arts, setting is sometimes as important as the work itself—which makes performing arts facilities an exciting, complex, highly rewarding part of what we do at ARC. Our strategic approach is highly attuned to the specialized lighting and acoustic needs of high-quality performance venues, enabling us to create simple, elegant spaces that bring an immersive experience to performers and audiences alike.

Whether musical or theatrical, spoken, sung, or played, every work experienced in a performance space is a chance to spark the imagination, feed the spirit, and nurture the soul. At ARC, we approach these facilities with the reverence they deserve, and produce spaces where creativity thrives and the performing arts are celebrated. 

From highly specialized concert halls to flexible campus arts centers, ARC brings deep expertise and technical ability to shaping performing arts facilities. Balancing acoustics, lighting, and seating requirements, we ensure a seamless blend of form and function down to the finest detail.

Sustainable solutions that don’t compromise on style

We work closely with our clients to realize an aesthetic for their performance space that balances moments of elegance with the demands of creative work—and, of course, places the art on center stage. 

Joining aesthetics with environmental practice, we integrate low-carbon materials, including mass-timber structural systems that can be exposed in performance spaces as part of their warm palette of materials. We also seek to incorporate natural light features to reduce the need for supplementary fixtures in music, visual arts, and even theater spaces wherever possible, using top-of-the-line shading systems to provide peak control. 

As design professionals, we are deeply committed to creating resilient design solutions that promote health and well-being, equity and inclusion, and environmental stewardship. Through research, education, and community engagement, we aspire to lead a fundamental shift in how the design community and our clients perceive and approach the natural environment.