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Diamond Schmitt Architects unveil vision for Buddy Holly-inspired music and arts complex
POSTED 04 May 2016 . BY Kim Megson
The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences will be distinctive for its sloping rooftop and the adjacent light scupture Credit: Diamond Scmitt
Canadian practice Diamond Schmitt Architects have released design details for a new arts complex in Texas inspired by the legendary 1950s pop star Buddy Holly.

The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences will be located in the city of Lubbock, where the singer was born.

The multi-purpose centre will be a new home for rock concerts, operas, ballets and touring Broadway shows, as well as large-scale social and community events.

Inspired "by the spirit of West Texas," the building will have a sloping roofline. Diamond Schmitt have designed “swooping planes and cascading columns” to establish a strong visual identity and create a welcoming entrance. Overhangs on the south-facing façade, angled fins, and frit on the structure’s glazing will control heat gain.

An adjacent 200ft (61m) high telecommunications tower will be covered with a spiralling light sculpture visible from miles around, providing the hall with a beacon.

Facilities will include a 2,200-seat main theatre, an additional 400-seat theatre, a 22,000sq ft (2,000sq m) Dance Centre for Lubbock's ballet company, a bistro cafe and a large public lobby with a helical staircase which can be used throughout the day and is also flexible performance space.

“Our goal is to have this venue feel great for all types of performers and audiences – whether they are in jeans and hats or ball gowns,” said Matthew Lella, a principal at Diamond Schmitt.

To achieve this versatility, the floor of the main auditorium can have raked seating or be made flat for a standing audience – as seen in an exclusive CLAD rendering showing a rock concert taking place. Top-tier natural acoustics will make the main auditorium an ideal performing venue for large symphony orchestras.

“The aim for Lubbock is to create a performing arts centre as good acoustically, as welcoming to the public, and as attractive to performers to be among the best halls in North America,” said co-principal Jack Diamond.

The project is being developed by The Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association (LEPAA), which has raised US$81m (€70.5m, £56m) of its US$146m (€127m, £100m) fundraising target. The facility will be fully funded through private donations. A donor wall inside the centre will be made up of guitar picks to form an iconic image of Holly.

Construction is set to commence later this year with a projected opening in 2019. Diamond Schmitt are working with development team partners Garfield Public/Private, Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, MWM Architects, Hugo Reed & Associates, Jaffe Holden Acoustics, Schuler Shook and Lee Lewis Construction.

The Toronto-based studio are working on a number of other cultural and leisure projects around the world, including “an architectural rejuvenation” for Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa and a renovated concert hall for New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with Thomas Heatherwick.

The multi-purpose centre will be a new home for rock concerts, operas, ballets and touring Broadway shows, as well as large-scale social and community events Credit: Diamond Scmitt
Seats can be removed to create a standing auditorium for rock concerts, as seen in this exclusive CLAD image Credit: Diamond Scmitt
The public lobby will be used throughout the day and will function as a flexible performance space Credit: Diamond Scmitt
The centre will be built in the city of Lubbock, Texas, where Buddy Holly was born Credit: Diamond Scmitt
The main auditorium will hold 2,200 people Credit: Diamond Scmitt
Buddy Holly, who died at only 22 years of age, remains one of the most iconic and influential figures in rock and roll history Credit: YouTube
RELATED STORIES
  Heatherwick Studio to lead US$500m redesign of New York concert hall


Following a two-year competition involving more than 100 leading architecture and design firms, Heatherwick Studio and Diamond Schmitt Architects have been selected to reimagine and renovate a concert hall for New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
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NEWS
Diamond Schmitt Architects unveil vision for Buddy Holly-inspired music and arts complex
POSTED 04 May 2016 . BY Kim Megson
The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences will be distinctive for its sloping rooftop and the adjacent light scupture Credit: Diamond Scmitt
Canadian practice Diamond Schmitt Architects have released design details for a new arts complex in Texas inspired by the legendary 1950s pop star Buddy Holly.

The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences will be located in the city of Lubbock, where the singer was born.

The multi-purpose centre will be a new home for rock concerts, operas, ballets and touring Broadway shows, as well as large-scale social and community events.

Inspired "by the spirit of West Texas," the building will have a sloping roofline. Diamond Schmitt have designed “swooping planes and cascading columns” to establish a strong visual identity and create a welcoming entrance. Overhangs on the south-facing façade, angled fins, and frit on the structure’s glazing will control heat gain.

An adjacent 200ft (61m) high telecommunications tower will be covered with a spiralling light sculpture visible from miles around, providing the hall with a beacon.

Facilities will include a 2,200-seat main theatre, an additional 400-seat theatre, a 22,000sq ft (2,000sq m) Dance Centre for Lubbock's ballet company, a bistro cafe and a large public lobby with a helical staircase which can be used throughout the day and is also flexible performance space.

“Our goal is to have this venue feel great for all types of performers and audiences – whether they are in jeans and hats or ball gowns,” said Matthew Lella, a principal at Diamond Schmitt.

To achieve this versatility, the floor of the main auditorium can have raked seating or be made flat for a standing audience – as seen in an exclusive CLAD rendering showing a rock concert taking place. Top-tier natural acoustics will make the main auditorium an ideal performing venue for large symphony orchestras.

“The aim for Lubbock is to create a performing arts centre as good acoustically, as welcoming to the public, and as attractive to performers to be among the best halls in North America,” said co-principal Jack Diamond.

The project is being developed by The Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association (LEPAA), which has raised US$81m (€70.5m, £56m) of its US$146m (€127m, £100m) fundraising target. The facility will be fully funded through private donations. A donor wall inside the centre will be made up of guitar picks to form an iconic image of Holly.

Construction is set to commence later this year with a projected opening in 2019. Diamond Schmitt are working with development team partners Garfield Public/Private, Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, MWM Architects, Hugo Reed & Associates, Jaffe Holden Acoustics, Schuler Shook and Lee Lewis Construction.

The Toronto-based studio are working on a number of other cultural and leisure projects around the world, including “an architectural rejuvenation” for Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa and a renovated concert hall for New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with Thomas Heatherwick.

The multi-purpose centre will be a new home for rock concerts, operas, ballets and touring Broadway shows, as well as large-scale social and community events Credit: Diamond Scmitt
Seats can be removed to create a standing auditorium for rock concerts, as seen in this exclusive CLAD image Credit: Diamond Scmitt
The public lobby will be used throughout the day and will function as a flexible performance space Credit: Diamond Scmitt
The centre will be built in the city of Lubbock, Texas, where Buddy Holly was born Credit: Diamond Scmitt
The main auditorium will hold 2,200 people Credit: Diamond Scmitt
Buddy Holly, who died at only 22 years of age, remains one of the most iconic and influential figures in rock and roll history Credit: YouTube
RELATED STORIES
Heatherwick Studio to lead US$500m redesign of New York concert hall


Following a two-year competition involving more than 100 leading architecture and design firms, Heatherwick Studio and Diamond Schmitt Architects have been selected to reimagine and renovate a concert hall for New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
MORE NEWS
Queensland government approves Dreamworld masterplan for long-term expansion
The Queensland Government has approved a masterplan that will enable the long-term expansion of Dreamworld and WhiteWater World, paving the way for one of Australia's most ambitious tourism developments ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Ga
London Museum makes destination dining part of the attraction
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA completes New Museum transformation with landmark expansion and Oberon restaurant
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming.
David Rockwell creates immersive magic destination, The Hand and The Eye
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and private membership under one roof.
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COMPANY PROFILES
Holovis

Holovis is a privately owned company established in 2004 by CEO Stuart Hetherington. [more...]
IAAPA EMEA

IAAPA Expo Europe was established in 2006 and has grown to the largest international conference and [more...]
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
28-29 Sep 2026

Wellness Destination AI Tech Summit – Tourism, Hospitality & Real Estate, 28-29 Sept 2026

Grand Ballroom, METT Singapore, Singapore
+ More diary  
 


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Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

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