Story

Driesenga & Associates, Inc. performed construction staking and construction materials testing, as well as an as-built survey of the lower level of the building. This project consisted of the new construction of a 62,000-square-foot facility that sits on 42 acres on Forest Hill Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This 1,200-seat auditorium was designed and built to meet the standards of a regional performance center. There are also six classrooms that operate as part of the community art education program. There is also is a multipurpose room, a dance studio and an artist in residence studio. In addition, the center has a multi-use lobby designed to accommodate arts shows, trade shows, and small business conferences. The facility also has a café, a catering prep area and an outdoor dining patio. One design goal was to create an architecturally strong building that could serve to positively represent the communities within the Forest Hills School District. The building also had to reflect the school district’s commitment to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED ratings system. In 2006 the Fine Arts Center was the first public facility of its type to receive LEED certification in the U.S.