Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

This natural architecture building is the Atlantic Center for the Arts located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Designed by Charles Rose Architects, this atlantic center building complex was completed in 1997 which is includes studios for dance, drama, painting, sculpture, music and writing; plus a black-box theater, library and dining hall.

The design weaves studio pavilions into the vegetation, creating a sense of complete immersion into the landscape. The pavilions are linked by a boardwalk, which sits two and a half feet off the jungle floor and provides both circulation and public spaces to exchange ideas and spark collaboration between artists.

Structures are highly responsive to the environment: Each roof, for example, gathers torrential rainfalls and channels the water into a single scupper; expansive glass walls maximize northern light while wood louvers lessen the effects of direct tropical sunlight. Materials include cedar siding; epoxy-coated steel curbs, lightposts and trellises; mahogany windows; lead-coated copper roofs; poured-in-place concrete and glass.