The reimagined School of Music will bring the vibrancy of the arts into the campus heart, activating the site as an inviting campus destination and accelerating UF’s vision to create a world-class facility on par with its growing program. The project renovates the existing School of Music facility, an outdated 1971 Brutalist structure, integrating it with a contemporary new addition that will engage its surroundings, including a future pedestrian plaza.

Our design draws upon the concept of origami, inspired by the “unfolding” of the School of Music to take on a new identity while referencing the angularity of the existing structure. An angular serrated-style façade defines a new wing of teaching spaces along the building’s west side on Newell Drive, coupled with generous full-height glazing to showcase the music program within. A mid-block entry off Newell at the seam between the existing building and the new addition provides a new front door for the School of Music, amplifying its identity on campus.

Rising through the facility’s center, a new 500-seat concert hall will create an immersive experience blurring the distinction between performer and audience. With curved wood forms that amplify and shape sound energy, the hall will seat patrons on multiple levels about the stage. Adjustable performance lighting and AV technologies will adapt to a range of uses throughout the day, accommodating large ensembles, intimate performances, and lecture events alike. Outside, the translucent crown atop the Concert Hall reflects folded geometries, prominently expressing the origami concept; its illumination by night will showcase the building as a campus beacon.

Design interventions to the existing building include a new AI studio, a state-of-the-art recording studio, a flexible flat-floor recital hall, and piano and tech practice rooms allowing musicians to hone their artistry. The daylit seam uniting the old and new structures will serve as a vibrant social space hosting informal indoor gathering areas. This new interior circulation also allows musicians to move between programs within the School of Music while protecting their precisely tuned instruments from the heat and humidity of the region.