Brockman Hall for Opera - Rice University

Brockman Hall for Opera expands the facilities for the Shepherd School of Music, providing rehearsal and performance spaces worthy of the caliber of the opera and instrumental musicians it produces. The 94,319 SF structure faces the existing Alice Pratt Brown Hall on the west side of campus and contains the Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theater, all relevant back-of-house facilities, a scene shop, rehearsal rooms, practice spaces, offices, and a prominent lobby. As an educational facility, the Opera Performance Hall and two rehearsal spaces require an acoustic character that both stretch and support the performers in both rehearsal and performance. The main performance hall seats 600 patrons, while the orchestra pit accommodates 70 musicians. The facility houses private practice rooms, teaching studios, and classrooms. Other support spaces include a fully functional scene shop, costume shop, and performer dressing rooms.

Robert Yekovich, Shepherd’s Dean, said in a statement that the addition of the new opera house signifies the shift from a university “based in sciences to one that’s based in arts and sciences”, and Campus Architect David Rodd stated that this “will be the most significant building we build this century”.

This project is Certified LEED-Silver.