Orlando Ballet is taking over the Loch Haven Neighborhood Center and redeveloping it with new offices, classrooms, and more.
The existing former Loch Haven Neighborhood Center at 610 N. Lake Formosa Dr is to be replaced with a new two-story 37,600 sq. ft. building for the Orlando Ballet that will contain the following:
Studio space for the Orlando Ballet School
Studio space for the Orlando Ballet Company
Headquarters/offices for the Orlando Ballet administrative staff
7,300 sf ballroom for local public and private functions, including recitals, cultural presentations, private parties, and banquets for up to 450 people.
The Ballet will share the existing Orlando Science Center garage through an agreement with the Science Center. Sidewalks will connect the new Orlando Ballet building through Loch Haven Park to the Orlando Science garage.
Architecture:
The building is designed to have a minimal silhouette and profile, especially given its multi-faceted program. All the large spaces are on the ground floor, while smaller office spaces will be located on the second floor.
The character of the building will be modern and contemporary, through the use of simple planar layers in light colors, to be offset by glass "cubes" provided at strategic points in the overall elevation. This will lighten the building appearance and will create excitement, especially at the main entry.
The proposed building will have many twists and turns, to break up the massing. The larger volumetric spaces will be set back as much as possible from the street, with lower height spaces fronting them, for the most part, so that the massing "builds up" from the street, which will also help maintain the human scale of the project.
Specialized windows will be positioned to create a "lantern" effect along the street facade, and the entry will be especially emphasized with two stories of transparent glass, and a glass "wraparound" of the grand stair leading to the second floor (see entry perspective).