The World Trade Center site made whole by performing arts venue

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
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
For more information, visit the REX Architecture website
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Venerable British car-maker AC goes OTT with the high-output, low-slung AC GT SuperSport
Pitched at all-American fans of the original AC Cobra, the GT SuperSport is a fearsome two-seat roadster with more muscle than ever before
-
The dynamic young gallerists reinvigorating America's art scene
'Hugging has replaced air kissing' in this new wave of galleries with craft and community at their core
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
While a few of our editors were in Europe for various showcases and launches, others stayed local, uncovering new cuisines, eccentric exhibitions and glorious gardens this side of the Channel
-
Discover this sleek-but-warm sanctuary in the heart of the Wyoming wilds
This glorious wood-and-stone residence never misses a chance to show off the stirring landscape it calls home
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
Peel back this Michigan lakeside house’s cool slate exterior to reveal a warm wooden home
In Detroit, Michigan, this lakeside house, a Y-shaped home by Disbrow Iannuzzi Architects, creates a soft balance between darkness and light through its minimalist materiality
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
A Rancho Mirage home is in tune with its location and its architect-owners’ passions
Architect Steven Harris and his collaborator and husband, designer Lucien Rees Roberts, have built a home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by some of America’s most iconic midcentury modern works; they invited us on a tour
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in California
A minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories
-
A New Zealand house on a rugged beach exemplifies architect Tom Kundig's approach in rich, yet understated luxury
This coastal home, featured in 'Tom Kundig: Complete Houses', a new book launch in the autumn by Monacelli Press, is a perfect example of its author's approach to understated luxury. We spoke to Tom Kundig, the architect behind it