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Borland Center for Music & Theatre awarded a 2024 AIA Nebraska Excellence in Design Architectural Merit Award

by Amy Crawford

Seward, NE (01/06/2025) — The Concordia University, Nebraska Borland Center for Music and Theatre has been awarded a 2024 AIA Nebraska Excellence in Design Architectural Merit Award. Architect of record Sinclair Hille Architects - in association with HDR - collaborated to reimagine this vital part of the Concordia Nebraska campus. The project resolved building accessibility challenges, introduced advanced acoustic design and seamlessly unified the building's wings. Project consultants included Olsson, Threshold Acoustics LLC and Hampton Enterprises - Properties & Construction.

"The entire design team enjoyed working with the leadership, faculty and students to collaboratively arrive at an inspired design that reflects the goals and values of Concordia University, Nebraska," said Sinclair Hille Principal in Charge Dan Grasso.

The university's previous music building was a tale of two halves. While designed and constructed as a whole, the floors of the building's two wings did not align. This misalignment was a persistent challenge for the movement of instruments and equipment and kept the facility from being accessible. The new east wing now aligns with the first and second levels of the west wing. A new elevator connects all levels with dual sided access and allows the new lower level to be deeper, providing for a larger, column free and taller black box appropriate for drama. The new east wing also houses taller band and choir rooms on the top floor, providing much needed acoustic spatial volume.

The new 46,544 square foot Borland Center for Music and Theatre is an innovative space that includes 22 practice rooms, 13 teaching studios, customizable rehearsal spaces, a 100-seat theater, a recital hall, study areas and spaces for collaboration and community among students and faculty. Much of the facility features floor-to-ceiling windows offering abundant lighting and inspiring views of the campus and adjacent neighborhood. The building is named for music enthusiasts and university supporters Michael and Caryn Borland.

The basic structure, building envelope and proportions of the old west wing were still considered suitable, making a renovation of this space desirable. As much original construction was saved as was possible. The new east wing includes a transparent atrium connecting the two wings. The atrium features a grand staircase that centers the atrium's vast open space. The atrium also contains an often-utilized student lounge space.

Sinclair Hille Architects has a longstanding relationship with Concordia University, Nebraska and has enjoyed working alongside their leadership to enrich academic, residential and athletic environments across campus. In 2020, the firm completed the Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business, which is located southeast of the music building.

About Concordia University, Nebraska

Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod located in Seward, Nebraska, which currently serves more than 1,700 students. Concordia offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world. For more information, visit cune.edu.

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