Student Center for the Arts at Kent Denver School

Englewood, CO

The Student Center for the Arts provides both its Upper and Middle Schools with consolidated music, theatre and visual arts instructional space. The 29,000 building was pushed into the slope of a hill in order to meet local height restrictions and to fit within the campus’ heritage. This allows entrances at grade for both the upper and lower floors, providing the building a public face in two directions. The resulting space blends with the original buildings, while developing a more articulated contemporary language for the campus.[READ MORE]

The program also includes the Anschutz Family Theatre, which works just as well for intimate audiences of fewer than 250 as it does for school assemblies of 500. Across the sweeping lobby space is an additional theatre space, which is designed as a hybrid of the traditional black box theater and a teaching theater. The building is equipped with a suite of practice and rehearsal rooms for the disparate arts. A sprung floor dance studio, recording studio, and sound proofed rehearsal rooms for the multiple school bands are included.

The resulting complex can comfortably accommodate Kent Denver’s burgeoning arts program, and provides an enduring structure to host generations of students.