Town of Kiawah Island, Civic and Cultural Center

The Town of Kiawah Island’s new Civic and Cultural Addition to Town Hall will provide a state-of-the-art performance and meeting complex that will allow the Town to realize artistic and civic programming in purpose-built facilities. It will offer multiple spaces adaptable to different uses while providing excellent sightlines and intimate acoustics for patrons. The technically flexible stage spaces will allow for a range of professional and non-professional uses. The new Civic and Cultural Addition will enable the Town to expand its programming and educational opportunities, to grow its devoted audience for the arts, and to enrich the cultural life of the region.
The Addition’s Lobby extends the existing Town Hall Lobby and is raised above the flood plain to ensure long-term safety and resiliency.

The Lobby’s axis ends at a sloped garden plaza surrounding an existing specimen tree. The plaza is shaded by a continuous canopy that steps down between the Lobby and the adjacent topography, extending out towards the treeline and marsh beyond. The garden plaza will have extensive planting and its terraced steps can be used for outdoor performances and public events. On the southeast side of the building, back-of-house and loading spaces will be organized to utilize existing truck access to the Town’s maintenance building.

The Addition will contain a 300-seat Performance Space and a 60-seat flexible Multipurpose Room. Both venues feature large acoustically isolated glass windows at one end to offer directed views to the exterior. The Performance Space’s roof structure is composed of glue-laminated timber beams and acoustic wood tambour reflectors. The walls of the Performance Space continue the wood theme while providing clerestory windows at the roof intersection and custom fabric acoustic wall panels. The seating will be arranged in tiers, with a common parterre providing access to upper and lower seating banks leading to egress circulation paths.
The connecting Lobby space will complement the main venues in terms of interior finish as well as serve as a pre-event space for meetings and receptions. A free-standing bar counter will display drinks and snacks during preshow and intermission times and can function as an information desk during daytime hours.