In the hearth of the Berkshire,Massachusetts, the american studio Flansburgh Architects has designed the new Perles Family Studio at Jacob’s Pillow Dance, combining traditional barn-aesthetics and modern technology.

Flansburgh Architects just finished construction of the Perles Family Studio, at the internationally acclaimed Jacob’s Pillow Dance, in Beckett, Massachusetts. This new studio, which is now the biggest at Jacob’s Pillow dance, is 685 m² big with a 325 m² dance floor. It can serve as rehearsal space, instructional space, informal performance space, and facilities for visiting artists.

The building is designed in a farm-like aesthetic, weathered board and batten siding. This barn style makes it timeless and integrates the new studio amongst the existing site. The rectangular floor plan adapts to the topography through additions, including smaller spaces such as porches and sheds to complement the central space and create multiple entrances at different levels.

The building is also an advanced technological answer. Carefully chosen building materials minimize sound overflow between studios, clerestories and cupolas control natural light and airflow in addition to concealed underfloor heating and cooling systems, which eliminate temperature and humidity challenges faced by dancers during the summer season.

The central 50 by 70 feet dance floor is larger than usual dance floors (40 by 60 feet), which allow spectators to view classes and rehearsals from overlooks, and ambulatories without interrupting. Oversized barn windows and doors create a strong linkage to the Berkshires landscape.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance is an education and research centre for dance, located in Beckett, Massachusetts. It is the home of an internationally acclaimed dance festival, which is the oldest in the United States. Established on a former farm since 1931, Jacob’s Pillow Dance is registered at the National Register of Historic Places since 2003.

Flansburgh Architects is a nationally recognized, Boston-based architectural firm specializing in the programming and design of academic, civic, and residential projects. The firm has received over 80 awards since 1963 for buildings located mainly the United States.