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USC United University Church Adaptive Reuse for School of Dramatic Arts
Los Angeles
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by: Perkins Eastman | Pfeiffer
Owner: University of Southern California
Lead Design Firm: Perkins Eastman | Pfeiffer
General Contractor: MATT Construction
Civil Engineer: KPFF
Structural Engineer: Nabih Yousef & Associates
MEP Engineer: Affiliated Engineers Inc.
Architectural Lighting: Pivotal Lighting Design
Theater Consultant: TheatreDNA
An adaptive reuse project has transformed USC’s historic 1931 United University Church into the new home for its School of Dramatic Arts (SDA).
Scope of work on this two-year effort included converting the existing building’s main chapel, with its arches, double arches and plaster details, into a theater space while maintaining the building’s original character and defining features.
The chapel had minimal infrastructure, but crews had to add a significant number of new systems within the limited space of the building’s existing walls, such as seismic reinforcement and modern electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems that would support sustainability goals.
Historical drawings from the 1930s did not represent what was actually built. Unforeseen structural elements included beams and columns. To overcome this challenge, the team used a laser point cloud scanner to create a precise 3D model of the existing structure, which was then cross-referenced with the design team’s model, ensuring accurate placement and alignment of new infrastructure while preserving the previously existing geometry.
Photo by Stephanie Kingsnorth
The design and construction teams ensured that all new systems were compactly and efficiently installed to fit within the chapel’s limited space. The team used detailed coordination and innovative engineering solutions to blend the new infrastructure seamlessly with the historic fabric, maintaining the chapel’s aesthetic and structural integrity.
The sanctuary and lower level gathering space became performance areas, while the design added room for consolidated programs, including rehearsal and backstage areas, teaching and student facilities and offices.
Original cast stone details, heavy timber trusses and original light fixtures in the sanctuary were carefully rehabilitated while both architectural and structural elements were upgraded.
Although the design called for replacing the building’s steel windows, doing so would have been cost and time prohibitive. Instead, the team reused and upgraded the existing windows to meet modern energy requirements while preserving their historic look by removing the panes and replacing them with new, more thermally efficient glass.
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