Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)
World Trade Center, New York, NY, USA
A "spectacular work of public architecture." - The New York Times
The Perelman has been envisaged as a global center for the creation and exchange of art, ideas and culture.
The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), opened in September 2023, is the cultural crown jewel of the World Trade Center site. Conceived as a global hub for the creation and exchange of art, ideas, and culture, it presents bold new works in theatre, music, dance, opera, and film, while expanding artistic reach through broadcast and international collaborations.
Charcoalblue worked hand in hand with PAC NYC, REX, and the wider design team to deliver a venue of unprecedented flexibility and technical ambition. The building houses three main performance spaces, seating 499, 250, and 99, which can function independently or combine with adjoining spaces to create over a dozen different configurations. With motorized lifts, movable acoustic walls, and reconfigurable seating towers, the theatres transform rapidly, accommodating everything from intimate drama to immersive concerts for 1,200.
The technical capacity of the new building is of paramount importance.
The Perelman Performing Arts Center is a highly adaptable venue with unprecedented digital connectivity.
The new building includes several medium sized theatre spaces, plus rehearsal rooms, administration offices, and a public bar and cafe.
Yet such versatility brings complexity. To help the client team plan, communicate, and maximize the building’s potential, Charcoalblue’s Digital Studio developed a bespoke virtual twin of the venue. This VR and web-based application allows PAC NYC to digitally prototype theatre formats, explore sightlines, and experiment with layouts long before productions load in. Featuring more than 50 configurations with switchable elements, from stage size and seating layouts to catwalks and acoustic banners, the tool empowers the team to evaluate choices quickly, visualize options with collaborators, and streamline production planning.
Digital Twin Environment of PAC NYC - Charcoalblue, Digital Studio
Digital Twin Environment of PAC NYC - Charcoalblue, Digital Studio
Digital Twin Environment of PAC NYC - Charcoalblue, Digital Studio
Digital Twin Environment of PAC NYC - Charcoalblue, Digital Studio
Digital Twin Environment of PAC NYC - Charcoalblue, Digital Studio
By combining our core theatre consultancy with cutting-edge digital innovation, Charcoalblue has helped create not only a world-class venue, but also a new way of working: where design, technology, and imagination converge to expand what’s possible for 21st-century performance. Since the opening of this project in 2023, we have developed this application even further and continue to work with PAC NYC on new features and production prototyping possibilities.
Services provided:
- Theatre consultancy (performance, public, and support spaces)
- Digital Studio
- 3D modelling
- Custom application development
- VR sightline testing
- Technical and digital systems design
Take a closer look at PAC NYC.
Project Details
Client
The Perelman Performing Arts Center
Project cost
$500m
Completion
2023
Awards
Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Award: Unbuilt Civic Category, 2017
World Architecture News: Civic Future Projects Shortlisted, 2016
The Perelman is the final piece of the World Trade Center Master Plan in New York.
Credits
Architect
Interior Design of Public Spaces
Construction Manager
Executive Architect
Acoustician
Team Members
Related
Wrapped in translucent, veined marble laminated by insulated glass, the building will look like a monolithic box by day and a glowing cube at night.
Press
Directors and designers now are interested in far more flexibility and adaptability, in being able to radically reconfigure an auditorium.
Press
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