The Cincinnati School for the Creative and Performing Arts is the first arts school in the United States to serve grades K-12. It is also the first publicly funded school devoted to the arts.
Located at the new 253,000 sq. ft. Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education on the north edge of downtown Cincinnati, the school serves more than 1,300 students. Each day, those students are welcomed through the main entrance on the south elevation by RHEINZINK® Preweathered Blue-Gray Flat-Lock Tiles, where they are used as a compliment to red brick. More than 20,000 sq. ft. of 0.8mm RHEINZINK material was used on the façade.
Design for the project was provided by Moody•Nolan of Columbus, OH. Construction documents were prepared by an architectural team that included Cole & Russell of Cincinnati; Fanning/Howey Associates, Celina, OH; and Moody•Nolan.
Featured spaces include an 850-seat performance theatre, classrooms and support spaces fitted with the arts in mind.
While the traditional use of brick on the structure pays homage to the historic community that abuts the site on three sides, an “urban curve” was introduced to reveal the contemporary nature of the facility. RHEINZINK Flat-Lock Tile panels and stainless steel shingles are situated along the building’s main façade and entry plaza to serve as a counterpoint.
“The synthesis of the urban curve was to peel away from the traditional rectilinear envelope in a contemporary form,” explained Mark Schirmer, Moody•Nolan’s project architect. “Zinc covers most of the north façade. We wanted to use a material with a long life span. And the cost was very similar to the brick façade—we were very pleased with that. Over time, the zinc will change as it weathers and it will be a classic façade for the next 50-plus years.”
The RHEINZINK Flat-Lock Tile panels were fabricated by Firestone Metal Products, Anoka, MN, and installed by The Zero Company, Cincinnati. Turner/DAG/TYS, Cincinnati, served as construction manager. The general trade contractor was Monarch Construction, Cincinnati.