Overview
The Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts at Ole Miss is located in Oxford, Miss. This development greets students, faculty, and visitors as they enter the Ole Miss campus from University Avenue. The center stands six stories tall and accommodates about 1,200 patrons in fixed seats and 18 private Loge boxes. The project entails the EMJ team implementing a variety of motorized and manual acoustically adjustable curtain systems in the performance hall, which allow the acoustics to be adjust to reflect a varied range of sound from lectures to recitals to a full symphonic performance. The systems can be manipulated for optimum clarity. The project also involves the set-up of a fully digital and computer-controlled theatrical lighting system that controls 300 different types of luminaries positioned on three catwalks. These critical elements come together with the assistance from world-renowned acoustical and theater consultants. The center is the first building in the greater Oxford area to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating. The center is the third performing arts center in the U.S. to receive the award at the time.