Sarasota Performing Arts Center task force selects architect

An architecture firm has been selected to design the new Sarasota Performing Arts Center. After seven months of meetings, project site visits and a full day of in-person interviews on Wednesday, the SPAC Architect Selection Task Force has named Renzo Piano Building Workshop as its No. 1 choice.

The task force, which was seated by the SPAC Foundation and the city of Sarasota, began its work in late 2022. Its first mission was to narrow an initial field of 43 respondents to a request for qualifications down to 18, then to six semifinalists and eventually four finalists. One of the final four selected, Gehry Partners, declined to participate in the final round.

On Wednesday, fellow finalists Snohetta and Foster + Partners joined Renzo Piano Building Workshop, named after founder Renzo Piano, for in-person presentations in the Grand Foyer of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Task force members Jenne Britell, Michelle Hooper, Mark Famiglio and Mary Bensel then slept on it overnight — although they said they didn’t get that much sleep — before making their decision on Thursday.

Individually, that decision appeared to be largely made prior to Thursday’s meeting, as Britell and Hooper clearly indicated Renzo Piano was their first choice, with Famiglio favoring Foster + Partners. Bensel struggled between the two, eventually agreeing on the winning firm. Snohetta was the unanimous third choice.

“We could take a dart board and make this a very short meeting,” said Hooper. “We could take a dart, close our eyes, and we would be happy with any one of the three. They are all phenomenal. All three are really world class.”

On the caliber of firms, Famiglio added, “This is amazing that we're even able to do this. I still can't get over it.”

With offices in Genoa, Italy, and Paris, France, Renzo Piano Building Workshop is led by 12 partners. The practice permanently employs about 100 architects and 30 support staff including 3D visualization artists, BIM managers, model makers, archivists, and administrative and secretarial staff.

A boutique-style firm, Renzo Piano takes on only about two new projects per year, although several ongoing projects overlap, pulling resources from across the firm to collaborate on the designs. Among its global projects is the Academy of Motion Pictures, which includes two theaters. That project, which was highlighted in its presentation, was completed in 2021.

With the architect selected, the next step in the process is contract negotiations between the city's procurement staff and the firm. If an agreement cannot be reached, negotiations would commence with Foster + Partners, the task force's second choice.

The SPAC is planned to include a 2,100-seat main hall, a 300-seat flexible performance space and a total of 165,000 square feet of building utilizing inside and outside education, event and rooftop spaces. It is estimated to cost $275 million to $300 million, funded by private donations, grants and tax increment finance revenues on a district surrounding The Bay, the city’s 53-acre waterfront park site where the SPAC would be located.