Inside the Vision: Meet the Designers at the Heart of the Winspear Expansion

Written by: Lisa Hennig, Philanthrophy Advisor

Building a world-class music centre for everyone is only possible by enlisting a roster of top-tier international talent. For the Winspear expansion, two of those visionaries are Architect Andrew Bromberg and Acoustician Tateo Nakajima. Each brings a distinct focus to the project; Bromberg is internationally renowned and awarded for his ground-breaking architectural design, and Nakajima has spent 25 years leading teams focused on designing the world’s best arts facilities. Together, they share a profound commitment to creating a customized and connected space – and that north star is fueling a truly transformative Winspear Expansion.

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More informal, more inviting

For some, concert halls, theatres and performance centres can have an air of formality. The Winspear Expansion, however, is inclusive and accessible by design.

“As you might imagine, the process of making music, performing music and enjoying music requires different types of spaces — from casual conversations and networking all the way through ideation, workshopping, rehearsal, performance,” says Nakajima. “And this new Winspear Centre for music needed to have a whole series of spaces.”

Spaces will include breakout rooms, classrooms, and the signature 550-seat Music Box, which will offer the same acoustic superiority as the Winspear Centre’s main concert hall, but with customized seating and flexible configuration.  

“With the Music Box, we wanted to add something a little bit more informal, a little bit more inviting,” says Bromberg. “Something that not only appealed to your patrons in the evenings for performances but also brought in people in the daytime just to have a coffee and get influenced by music, and be around music, and educated by music.”

Reflecting Nature

In addition to the designated spaces for listening and playing music, once completed, the expanded Winspear will offer visitors an inspiring visual aesthetic that reflects the beauty of Northern Alberta. Specific design elements play into the natural rugged beauty. The exterior of the expansion, for example, reflects the grooves of the Rocky Mountains.  

“You have this horizontal striation to your mountains here that I was really blown away by,” says Bromberg. “If you look at the shell of the enclosure of this building it was tying into that horizontal striation – trying to make a connection to your mountains. And hopefully when it snows here, the snow will get caught on there and tie to that as well.”  

Nature is a muse throughout the centre’s design, and reflected through intuitive wayfinding, physical transitions and a depth of space. The intention is for guests to experience a unique sense of discovery and awakening each time they visit.

Connecting People through Music

When Nakajima first learned of Winspear President and CEO Annemarie Petrov’s vision for an expanded centre around 2012, he was inspired by the idea of a space that connected people – everyone from the listener, student, staff member or elite performer to the person who wanted to pop in for a coffee and simply soak in the creative energy.

“When this original building was (completed), it was about performance. That coming together really happened around performance where you had someone on stage with people listening,” Nakajima says. The new Winspear, however, is more expansive – welcoming more education, community and social connection.

“At the end of the day, I think of music as communication – it’s emotional communication. Therefore, it’s about connecting people around sound, around the act of making music, around the act of singing, dancing, everything that comes with that.”

Tune in to the Winspear Expansion

With the help of visionaries like Bromberg and Nakajima, our music centre for everyone is coming to life more and more each day. Sign up for the Winspear Expansion newsletter to learn about upcoming major milestones, new spaces and announcements. Watch clips from this interview on our social pages; Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.