New York architecture firm REX has placed the last piece in the World Trade Center masterplan by unveiling its design for the Ronald O Perelman Performing Arts Center.
The Perelman Center, as it is better known as, was created as a significant cultural hub for the area, hosting theatre, dance, music, film and opera performances. REX composed a fittingly arresting design – a simple, pure orthogonal form clad in glistening translucent, veined marble.
Nestled between the WTC site’s towering high rises, the centre may at first appear relatively low and modest in comparison. Yet its design scope and ambition is anything but. The architects researched extensively to find the perfect form and orientation to fit the surroundings and site constraints. As a result, the new building is rotated and elevated to accommodate complex underground requirements and to work in harmony with the 9/11 memorial nearby.
The space is designed to host theatre, dance, music, film and opera performances
Its external simplicity is matched by a selection of robust, hardworking materials inside – steel walls, concrete trusses, wood floors, plywood panels – and a well thought out program to boot. REX aimed to create a centre that is flexible, functional and modern, able to accommodate even the most demanding performance requirements.
The layout is planned across three levels, explain the architects: ‘Public (bottom), Performer (middle) and Play (top)’. Within these, there are three auditoria, rehearsal areas, ample backstage and support areas for the performers, as well as public functions, such as a restaurant and bar, lobby lounge and information point.
Adding an injection of art and culture to what is arguably one of New York’s most important ongoing sites, the Perelman Center is scheduled to open its doors in 2020.
The Perelman Center has been created as a simple, pure orthogonal form clad in glistening translucent, veined marble
This new cultural hub for the area will be nestled between the WTC site’s towering high rises and the 9/11 Museum and Memorial nearby
The programme spans three levels, including three auditoria, rehearsal areas, and ample backstage and support areas for the performers
There are also several public areas, such as a restaurant and bar, lobby lounge and information point
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the REX Architecture website
-
Archiboo Awards 2025 revealed, including prizes for architecture activism and use of AIArchiboo Awards 2025 are announced, highlighting Narrative Practice as winners of the Activism in architecture category this year, among several other accolades
-
Paul Rudolph's home served as a gigantic 'loom' for an exhibition of Anni Albers textilesItalian textile brand Dedar presented its Weaving Anni Albers collection at the legendary architect’s experimental Modulightor building in New York last week
-
From Bauhaus to outhouse: Walter Gropius’ Massachusetts home seeks a design for a new public toiletFor years, visitors to the Gropius House had to contend with an outdoor porta loo. A new architecture competition is betting the design community is flush with solutions
-
From Bauhaus to outhouse: Walter Gropius’ Massachusetts home seeks a design for a new public toilet
For years, visitors to the Gropius House had to contend with an outdoor porta loo. A new architecture competition is betting the design community is flush with solutions
-
Robert Stone’s new desert house provokes with a radical take on site-specific architectureA new desert house in Palm Springs, ‘Dreamer / Lil’ Dreamer’, perfectly exemplifies its architect’s sensibility and unconventional, conceptual approach
-
New York's iconic Breuer Building is now Sotheby's global headquarters. Here's a first lookHerzog & de Meuron implemented a ‘light touch’ in bringing this Manhattan landmark back to life
-
Louis Kahn, the modernist architect and the man behind the mythWe chart the life and work of Louis Kahn, one of the 20th century’s most prominent modernists and a revered professional; yet his personal life meant he was also an architectural enigma
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom Malibu beach pads to cosy cabins blanketed in snow, Wallpaper* has featured some incredible homes this month. We profile our favourites below
-
This refined Manhattan prewar strikes the perfect balance of classic and contemporaryFor her most recent project, New York architect Victoria Blau took on the ultimate client: her family
-
Inside a Malibu beach house with true star qualityBond movies and Brazilian modernism are the spur behind this Malibu beach house, infused by Studio Shamshiri with a laid-back glamour
-
An Arizona home allows multigenerational living with this unexpected materialIn a new Arizona home, architect Benjamin Hall exposes the inner beauty of the humble concrete block while taking advantage of changed zoning regulations to create a fit-for-purpose family dwelling
