Through its differentiated, flexible, and future-forward design, The Center in Boca Raton will revolutionize the way the world plans, designs, builds, utilizes, embraces, and is impacted by the cultural infrastructure of the future. The Center for Arts & Innovation is pleased to reveal the first expression of its vision for a forthcoming, globally revolutionary creativity and innovation hub in Boca Raton designed by widely-acclaimed architecture firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Laureate Renzo Piano only accepts two to three new commissions worldwide a year, a testament to The Center’s vision to usher in an international renaissance in Boca Raton and the region. With this globally-influenced design, The Center is poised to catalyze the convergence of creativity and innovation into four societal pillars wherein those elements intersect constantly: the arts, education, business, and community. The architectural and programmatic expression of that convergence, coupled with the design’s further refinement, ideation, partnership generation, and maturation over the 18-month design process will allow The Center to transcend its impact far beyond South Florida and present a flagship example for projects around the world to follow. “When you’re designing a conceptual plan as an architect, you’re often designing something that you don’t know, yet, exactly what it will be,” said Renzo Piano, The Center’s design architect.
“It’s about inventing. It’s about starting and working and seeing. We’re at the beginning and so what you see in these early designs – it’s not printed in stone. Rather, it’s the beginning of what we’re inventing and of something really unique.” “Innovation is like beauty – you don’t just say someone is beautiful for their exterior, they’re also beautiful because of their mind. The same sentiment will apply to The Center. It’s not about being a beautiful building; the beauty is in what will be created and invented inside the building,” Piano continued.
“For The Center to fulfill its goal of inspiring, growing, supporting, and shaping communities, artists, students, creatives, and entrepreneurs, our physical space itself must be as innovative as those who will visit and use it, and this initial design by Renzo Piano begins to bring shape to that vision,” said Andrea Virgin, Chair & CEO at The Center. “We are confident that this state- of-the-art destination will serve as a catalyst for new pioneering approaches that will not just unlock a renaissance for Boca Raton’s next 100 years, but also empower countless people to use creativity and innovation in their daily lives to shape a new future for generations to come.”
The Center’s purpose is to pioneer a new approach to how the world designs, imagines, programs, utilizes, and embraces its cultural infrastructure. By catalyzing leading creators, thinkers, students, and entrepreneurs, those who interact and are impacted by campuses like this will thrive, and in turn, define tomorrow. This 21st-century campus will provide a platform for new and inspiring works and ideas, opportunities for AI interaction with both the building and its visitors, comprehensive STEAM education in partnership with local and regional educational institutions to shape the next generation of leaders and creators, and cultivate innovation through an activated series of spaces where ideation and creation can thrive; all in a campus with a globally inspired design where the community can come together and truly connect. The new campus will consist of a three-story building carefully integrated into the Boca Raton skyline, serving an ensemble of functional needs and providing multi-use spaces that are welcoming, permeable, luminous, and open to all. The eastern side of the building will hold the ‘main venue’, a large multi-functional, convertible event, exhibition, and performance space with the ability to merge seamlessly with the outdoor piazza, enabling greater scaled events.
The main venue is intended to be highly flexible, allowing for a wide variety of convenings, exhibitions, performances, and innovative programming. The Center will also contain a public lobby, large flexible working spaces, dedicated workshops, maker space, creator residences, and a startup incubator, as well as educational and social spaces open to the public, all designed to foster collision and innovation of The Center’s four pillars from within. The third floor will host the city’s first covered rooftop terrace with food and beverage service, offering views overlooking Plaza Real and the city’s downtown. The roof will take advantage of the abundant Florida sun to produce both electricity and hot water through 100,000 square feet of revolutionary hybrid photovoltaic solar collectors. Above the roof, there will be a special 100-person capacity panoramic space, known as the Belvedere, dedicated to both the public and special events with 360-degree views of the city, ocean, and beyond.
Parking will be provided underground. Antoine Chaaya, RPBW’s Partner-in-Charge of the project states: “Cars should go in the dark, and people in the light.” Ample height is proposed in the parking garage to allow for any future changes as transportation modalities change in years to come. The central exterior space that grounds the project will be known as the Piazza. Maintaining the current capacity level, the open plaza will continue to be used as an amphitheater for outdoor performances as well as special events, daily programming, public events, as well as temporary exhibitions in collaboration with the Boca Raton Museum of Art. It is intended to be a vibrant and lively place open to the community, destined to enhance social interaction, urban culture, and human flourishing in the city.
“Ms. Virgin and her highly respected design and development team, including the world- renowned design firm of Renzo Piano, spent a great deal of time not only designing an incredible innovative venue, but understanding Boca Raton’s downtown, and how The Center can not only be an incredible place to experience art and culture in different ways but also a catalyst in the continued redevelopment of our downtown, said Marc Wigder, Boca Raton City Councilman and former Community Redevelopment Agency Chair. “I look forward to learning more about the design and operations of the proposed Center as they progress within its contractual parameters with the city.” “After years of dedication and passion poured into the vision for The Center to become a 21st- century campus that will revolutionize not only the South Florida landscape but the way the world views the potential of cultural infrastructure in the future, I am thrilled to see the thoughtful design concept by Renzo Piano and his team,” said Camilo Miguel, Building Committee Chair at The Center and Founder & CEO of Mast Capital.
“We look at this initial design with excitement knowing that while the journey is still underway, that the best is yet to come.” To commemorate the unveiling, The Center hosted a celebratory ceremony of its reveal at the Boca Raton Museum of Art against a phenomenal backdrop provided by the opening day for the retrospective exhibition Renzo Piano and RPBW: Le Fil Rouge of Contemporary Architecture. The traveling exhibition’s North American debut was timed to coincide in Boca Raton with the first look at the concept design for RPBW’s latest vision, The Center for Arts & Innovation, providing insight into the development of the project design and what will become the cultural hub of Southeast Florida and an international example of innovation.
Le Fil Rouge will be on view from April 20th through May 19th at the Boca Museum of Art. As The Center embarks on its next significant phase of development, it also extends its deepest gratitude to all of its capital donors who have supported its mission through their transformative generosity including, but not limited to, the James & Marta Batmasian Family Foundation; Elizabeth H. Dudley; the Kent Jordan Family; the Schmidt Family Foundation; The Edith & Martin Stein Family Foundation; and Andrea Virgin (in remembrance of Thomas J. Virgin). About The Center for Arts & Innovation Conceptually announced in 2018, The Center for Arts and Innovation is a non-profit with a mission to build and operate an innovative, vital, and flexible cultural campus that transcends function to enable creativity with no boundaries.
The Center can curate experiences either indoors or out, public or private, free or ticketed, for the young or old, student or professional, entrepreneur or established business, from all walks of life, either day or night, weekday or weekend, and all year long – The Center is truly a center for all. About Renzo Piano Building Workshop The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) is an international architectural practice with offices in Paris and Genoa. The Workshop is led by 11 partners, including founder and Pritzker Prize laureate, architect Renzo Piano. The company permanently employs nearly 130 people. Its 90-plus architects are from all around the world, each selected for his or her experience, enthusiasm, and caliber. Since its formation in 1981, RPBW has successfully undertaken and completed more than 120 projects across Europe, the United States, Australia, and East Asia. Among its best-known works are the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas; the Kansai International Airport Terminal Building in Osaka; the Kanak Cultural Center in New Caledonia; the Beyeler Foundation in Basel; the Rome Auditorium; the Maison Hermès in Tokyo; the Morgan Library and the New York Times Building in New York City; and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Recently completed works include the Shard in London and the new Whitney Museum in New York.