Get to know the project of the new building of the School of Performing Arts

The unveiling of the project that will be the new Faculty of Performing Arts (Fares) building, designed by the Barclay & Crousse studio, was emotional. The model and digital models, presented in Room UNO, showed the infrastructure that will be built on our campus: four emblematic buildings (one for each specialty) and a common administrative building that surrounds them forming an L. Amid tears of joy and applause, Dr. Lorena Pastor, dean of Fares, thanked the three finalist teams and the members of the jury for their efforts.

"This moment for us is historic. While our mission of training performing artists was never interrupted, having an infrastructure with this technical quality within our University is an achievement," Professor Pastor said at the ceremony before thanking the Rector's Office for its support of this project.  

This is the new Fares building designed by Barclay & Crousse.

Carlos Teruya Taira, Barclay & Crousse's project manager, explains that the team has been rigorous in every design detail. In addition, testing various models helped them synthesize a pragmatic project. "We divided the area into two spaces: the emblematic ones, which will respond to the needs of the performing arts; and the generic one, for administrative areas," he explains.

As announced in the previous stages of the competition, acoustics and sound insulation have been crucial. "The generic building, which is L-shaped, serves as noise protection from the University Avenue and the sports slabs. This allows us to make the best use of resources and avoid making the project more expensive. On the second floor will be the two black boxes, the presentation room and a multipurpose room," he says.

Opinion of the Jury and Technical Committee on the winning project

The administrative vice-rector, Dr. Domingo González, points out that a mandatory criterion was that the projects must comply with the competition rules and the architectural specificities proposed by the program. "We had very high-level architects and specialists on the jury, who weighed the benefits, uncertainties and advantages of the projects. Other fundamental aspects evaluated were the building's functionality, acoustics and ventilation - which the pandemic has taught us is essential - as well as the budget," explained Dr. Domingo Gonzalez, administrative vice-rector and president of the jury.

Architect Nepomuceno, representative of Akustiks, points out a technical difference in the winning project. "They designed the shape of the buildings observing the rules of acoustics. That is, they did not design the external building to make an internal correction, but focused on both. I loved having the four specialty blocks separate from the administrative body. In these we find the music, dance, creation and theater rooms; they were made in function of the Faculty of Performing Arts of the PUCP. It is something you will not find in any other school," he said.

Thus, a key step has been taken for the authorities and students of the School of Performing Arts. Beyond the construction of the building, this project will strengthen the sense of belonging and will provide theater, scenic creation and production, music and dance with an integral space for their training.