Beauty and the Beast The Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks band shell transforms a hulking backdrop
By Paul Deffenbaugh, Editorial Director Outdoor band shells have traditionally been placed in natural settings that accentuate the beauty of the music, but the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks shell using the hulking carcass of the Bethlehem, Pa., steelworks as its backdrop. And through the shell’s geometric simplicity and clean, metal lines, the backdrop itself is transformed. Philadelphia architects Wallace Roberts & Todd
(WRT) designed a cantilevered band shell, employ- ing Tampa, Fla.-based McNICHOLS Co. perforated panels, plays on the contrast of the old and new. “We wanted to create something that is perceived as new,” says Antonio Fiol-Silva, principal of WRT and lead architect, “but establishes a dialogue between the new and the old.” There are 240 panels on the canopy in the
Designer Metal series. The perforations are 1/4- inch openings and 0.375-inch staggered centers on 11-gauge stainless steel metal, which produces a kind of translucent feel to the shell. The shell itself raises 37 feet and cantilevers 35 feet over the stage. The entire band shell consists of the canopy, as
well as a green room, bathroom facilities, conces- sion structure, storage and equipment area that are shrouded in galvanized, powder-coated wire mesh green screen. The entire structure sits on the edge of a green
lawn, which serves as the patron area for perfor- mances. Dramatic lighting at night gives the steel works backdrop an even greater presence during concerts, and the angled steel panels refl ect different colored light. “At certain angles, you see through the panels,” says Fiol-Silva. “Yet at other angles where the light does not penetrate it looks solid, giving the appearance of a monolithic building.” Judge Mark DeWalt calls the project, “A great
little building. It really is a standout compared to the backdrop of the shuttered steel mill. Functional and elegant.”