Proj Overview

In 2018, Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) announced plans to expand their downtown campus. O-pa’s vision is to offer a vibrant destination for extraordinary experiences that engage, inspire, and connect. As part of a larger campus expansion and master plan strategy, the new venue (Steelhouse Omaha) was strategically sited along a main transit arterial to compliment The Holland Performing Arts Center and connect the city’s revitalized riverfront to growing developments in downtown Omaha.

From project onset, the design intent was to create an exterior that stood out and reinforced the identity O-pa wanted to establish within this downtown campus. The building’s striking use of exaggerated folds in the facade draws inspiration from the area’s industrial past while infusing it with a
welcoming and forward-looking vitality.

Architectural precast concrete was chosen not only for its durability but for its limitless design  opportunities. The sawtooth rhythm of the design references the site’s history of manufacturing, bringing a more industrial feel to a space now dedicated to creating music and providing a space for local artists and community groups to convene. The strong horizontal lines of the precast concrete plinth are further enhanced by the precast concrete’s thickened edge and smooth, acid washed face. This combination of texture and material depth creates an iconic monolithic form which is further accentuated by strong, horizontal continuous shadow lines giving the building a recognizable sense of scale at the pedestrian level.

But for a music venue, how it sounds is as important to how it looks, so another primary design concern was the acoustics of the venue. Acoustical design was vital to ensuring that the sound of the music inside the main house was optimal while also guaranteeing that the loud music did not escape the building and disturb the neighboring community. For sound containment, the building shell was
reinforced so all sound was absorbed within the concrete, drywall walls, or the specially designed glass panels.

For the interior, the guiding principle was that this is, first and foremost, a music venue and it needed to perform like one. Specialty perforated metal panels with acoustic absorptive material line the walls on the interior of the house. Fabric lapidary panels hang from the roof structure to absorb and reflect sound as needed. The mezzanine back wall was intentionally angled so it did not reflect sound directly back to the stage.

The project included 82 pieces comprising approximately 12,000 square feet of finished precast concrete wall panels. The bulk of the panels are insulated sandwich panels with solid panels around the back of house areas. The insulated precast concrete panels incorporate four inches of XPS insulation giving the wall an R-Value of over 20 which will provide significant energy savings over the life span of the facility. The precast panels consisted of an acid etch finish with a unique saw tooth design that changes in dimension vertically as you go up the building. The panel’s exterior concrete
wythe varies in thickness from three inches at the recess to five inches at the saw tooth point. The unique panel faces were created using custom built wooden formwork.

 

Project Team

Architect

Holland Basham Architects

Engineer

Walter P Moore

Contractor

Kiewit Building Group

Owner

Omaha Performing Arts

Precaster

Enterprise Precast Concrete

Precast Specialty Engineer

Enterprise Properties

Image Credits

Arch Photo KC

Key Project Attributes

  • Custom Sawtooth Wood Formwork
  • Acid Etch Finish

Project/Precast Scope

  • 82 Insulated Sandwich Panels
  • 12,000 SF of Finished Wall Panels
  • R-Value over 20