Creating an equitable campus

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s (NJPAC) commitment to downtown Newark is central to its mission. Originally proposed in SOM’s master plan, the center was designed to create a hub of activity in the heart of the city and revitalize the surrounding neighborhoods. More than 35 years later, NJPAC, Center Street Owners, L+M Development Partners, and Prudential Impact & Responsible Development are driving that vision forward.

SOM is designing 17 residential buildings of different scales for people at all income levels, with shared public spaces and a renovation of NJPAC itself. This renovation will connect the center to the residences and to the new Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center designed by Weiss/Manfredi. Just a short walk from the NJPAC/Center Street station, the new park and plaza are designed with the potential to serve as performance spaces themselves.

Recreating the urban fabric

When NJPAC was built, a portion of Mulberry Street was eliminated from the pedestrian streetscape. This project will restore that block, extending the street through a redesigned Chambers Plaza along the eastern side of the building. New pathways will branch eastward through the campus toward the NJPAC/Center Street station, featuring lush landscaping and space for outdoor events and art displays.

Reflecting the identity of Newark

The residential buildings—from 15 townhomes to a 22-story tower and a 153,000-square-foot, mid-rise building—draw inspiration from Newark’s masonry character. The mid-rise building, with a food hall at its base and a terrace overlooking Chambers Plaza and Mulberry Street below, will rise seven stories in a gray brick cladding. Steps away, the tower will sit at the prominent corner of Center Street and McCarter Highway, signaling the campus in the skyline with concave, metal facade panels shaded in blue. Directly north, the 15 townhomes will echo the hues of the mid-rise building in alternating shades of light and dark gray brick.

The buildings will make extensive use of timber at street level, where wood and glass storefronts will create a warm and cohesive pedestrian streetscape. About halfway up Mulberry Street, an opening carved out of the mid-rise building will shade an outdoor performance and exhibition space. Combined, the new buildings will create 15 single-family homes and 350 rental units, of which 20 percent will be dedicated to affordable housing. All the new buildings will provide residents with outdoor spaces—from townhouse courtyards to terraces on the multi-unit buildings.

Designing a sustainable development

Sustainability drove the design and planning for the campus, from the area’s proximity to public transit down to the selection of materials. Prefabricated facades and the use of timber will significantly lower construction costs and embodied carbon, reducing construction waste by up to 95 percent. Together, the new buildings will use energy efficiently through daylighting and strong insulation, while new landscaping on the ground and the terraces will absorb stormwater.

Preparing NJPAC for the future

With Mulberry Street reopening to pedestrians, a renovation on NJPAC’s eastern face will prepare the building for its future. Previously functioning as a service entrance, the redesigned facade heralds a more prominent public entrance along the recreated Mulberry Street. A canopy and outdoor seating area will punctuate the new entrance, creating a pocket park where a green trellis wall will conceal a new loading dock in the back of the building. Materials on both the wall and the canopy will replicate the dark gray bands along the building’s existing facade, while its infill will comprise timber to match the interior spaces and ground floors of the new developments—establishing a unified design language across the campus.