International architecture studio Snøhetta has completed a major expansion of the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, adding two distinctive cubic volumes to the existing 1960s building. The project transforms the sprawling arts complex, which serves as the college's primary cultural hub containing multiple theaters, auditoriums, and studios.
The expansion builds upon Snøhetta's designs released in 2022, which added to the original architecture by Wallace K. Harrison. The project involved filling in previously open spaces, including a former outdoor courtyard, while creating new outward-facing volumes specifically designed for performances. The studio also revitalized existing spaces within the center, including the 900-seat Spaulding Auditorium and updated the Top of the Hop, a popular social and gathering space.
The two main additions are the Recital Hall building at the front, clad in distinctive bronze-colored steel panels, and the Daryl Roth Studio Theatre on the backside, wrapped in precast concrete with steel skirting that matches the Recital Hall's material. Snøhetta co-founder Craig Dykers described the relationship between the buildings as dance partners, explaining that "they just feel like they belong together. They're dance partners. They're not doing the same thing, otherwise, they'd step on each other's feet, but they're dancing in a group together. And they both feel that they represent the arts."
The Recital Hall was designed to function "like a lantern" for the campus, with light passing through its distinctive arched mullion windows at night. The building's massing protrudes in a way that complements the rounded-arch facade of Harrison's original design. Behind these window mullions sits a double-height recital hall, while the campus's first dance studio is located directly below, positioned slightly underground but visible through ground-level perimeter windows.
Connecting these structures is an irregularly shaped volume called the Forum, which serves as a central lobby and links the two levels of the Roth Wing to the existing building. The Forum features an open, curved staircase covered in striated wood that leads to the second-story Recital Hall. This wood-clad space creates a welcoming transition between the new and existing structures while providing clear circulation throughout the complex.
Additional new spaces include the Mindy Kaling Theatre Lab, located on the lower level of the complex. The project also formalized the plaza in front of The Hop, creating what the architects describe as "a new central and sunlit point of entry" to the arts center. These improvements enhance both the functionality and aesthetic appeal of the campus's cultural district.
The Hopkins Center for the Arts sits directly across from the Hood Museum of Art on the Dartmouth campus, which was recently overhauled by Tod Williams Billie Tsien. This expansion represents another significant addition to Snøhetta's portfolio of cultural projects, following their recent sculptural addition to the home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and other notable architectural interventions that have redefined institutional spaces.
