BLT Architects to redesign The Kimmel Center

BLT Architects (BLTa) has been selected by and is currently working with The Kimmel Center, Inc. to redesign its Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Garden, which was intended as a special events and public space when The Kimmel Center first opened in 2001, has faced temperature and acoustic challenges. The Kimmel Center, visualized in a master plan created by Kieran Timberlake, features a number of performance venues and ancillary spaces including The Hamilton Garden, a unique rooftop venue that caps the Perelman Theater. Overlooking the Kimmel Center plaza, this 7,500 s/f space rises nearly 100 ft. above ground-level, and features a 150-ft., high-glazed vaulted enclosure. To achieve The Kimmel Center's goals of temperature and acoustic control for the Garden, BLTa went to great lengths to research and identify an insulated glass to enclose the previously open space. It will contribute to the "wow" design of the overall facility in space and form. There will also be lighting features added to the space that will be visible from Broad Street and shades activated at the warmest and brightest periods of the day. "The Kimmel Center is a thriving urban arts and culture center, and the Hamilton Garden is its crowning feature," said Michael Prifti, principal at BLT Architects. "We are so pleased to have been chosen as the firm that will re-invent it as the premier destination for public and private events in the city of Philadelphia." "We're very happy to have BLT involved with this important and challenging project," said David Thiele, VP of operations for The Kimmel Center, Inc. "Their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity has infused the work, and their skill at integrating the many requirements of the various constituent groups who will make use of the space is admirable." Construction on the Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden is anticipated to begin in June and be completed before the end of the year. Wolfgang Puck Catering, which began a partnership with The Kimmel Center earlier this year, will provide catering services in the Hamilton Garden following the renovations.