架构师提供的文本描述。这座充满活力、充满活力的城市建筑是一个变革性的第一声文化中心，它庆祝非裔美国人对该地区和全球过去、现在和未来的美国文化、艺术、音乐和戏剧的贡献。这座由珀金斯威尔设计的两层楼高的64，500个gsf设施包括一个486个座位的前场剧院、11000个展览画廊、一个灵活的工作室、一个音乐咖啡馆和一个教育中心。为了纪念八月威尔逊，一个土生土长的儿子和世界著名的剧作家，这个向前看的、独一无二的混合机构在其家乡和其他地方参与了这种文化的广泛而复杂的多样性。

Text description provided by the architects. This energetic, urban in-fill building is a transformative first-voice cultural center that celebrates the contributions of African Americans to American culture, art, music, and theatre in the region and globally—past, present and future. Designed by Perkins+Will, the two-story, 64,500 gsf facility includes a 486-seat proscenium theater, 11,000 gsf of exhibit galleries, a flexible studio, a music café, and an education center. Named in honor of August Wilson, a native son and world-renowned playwright, this forward-looking, one-of-a-kind hybrid institution engages the broad and complex diversity of this culture in its home city and beyond.

 © Steinkamp Photography

斯坦坎普摄影

从战略上讲，这座建筑是由一个紧密的三角形场地组成的，它利用了两个城市网格交汇的时刻，以及文化、会议和市中心区域的交集，形成了一个门户交叉口。该中心以强劲的曲线形式庆祝这个角落，灵感来自于从东非运送斯瓦希里文化的雄伟帆船-独桅帆船。在更重、更不透明的建筑背景下，这条曲线打破了常规，将街角作为城市艺术加以锚定。

Strategically composed on a tight triangular site, the building exploits the moment where two city grids converge and the Cultural, Convention and Downtown Districts overlap, forming a gateway intersection. The Center celebrates the corner with a robust curvilinear form inspired by the full sails of the dhow, the majestic sailing ships that transported Swahili culture from East Africa. In a context of heavier, more opaque buildings, the curve breaks the norm and anchors the corner as urban art.

 © Steinkamp Photography

斯坦坎普摄影

该建筑是一个高度控制，具体的空间和灵活的公共空间的组成。在这两个层次，灵活的用途是组织在北面玻璃外观，延伸328英尺的主要市中心主干道之一。以最佳的太阳方向，这种透明度邀请周围的历史背景，以丰富的内部经验，并参与城市的地方。这座建筑是一个巨大的画窗，描绘了非洲文化的不断变化、演变和影响，活跃而自豪地从内部散发着光芒。在晚上，这是最深刻的。

The building is a composition of highly controlled, programmatically specific volumes and flexible public space. At both levels flexible uses are organized behind the north-facing glassy façade that extends 328 linear feet along one of the major downtown thoroughfares. With optimum solar orientation, this transparency invites the surrounding historic context in to enrich the interior experience and engage the place in the city. The building is a giant picture window framing the constant transformation, evolution and influence of African culture, active and glowing proudly from within. At nighttime this is most profound.

 © Steinkamp Photography

斯坦坎普摄影

为了确认街道作为公共空间和城市生活舞台的重要性，人行道滑进了大楼，连接了街道层面的使用。开放式天花板与线性挡板，天花板索具，图形划线和密封混凝土地板建立了功能的戏剧美学。第二层俯瞰街道，门廊般的，和两个大的枢轴门细分了漫长的空间，但允许人群之间流动空间之间的活动。高度控制的展览馆吸收了三角形场地的几何形状，位于倾斜的石墙后面，夜间照明，白天有丰富的间接北光。正式的楼梯靠在石墙上，是画廊和柔性空间之间的拉链，连接着长轴。朝东南面的正面是无窗的，激活了一个发光的灯光带和游行横幅。帝王的紫色鼓形剧院把两层楼钉在一起。

To acknowledge the significance of the street as common space and as a stage for urban life, the sidewalk slides into the building, connecting the street level uses. Open ceilings with linear baffles, ceiling rigging, graphic scrims and sealed concrete floors establish a functional theatrical aesthetic. The second level overlooks the street, porch-like, and two large pivot doors subdivide the long space, yet allow crowds to move fluidly between spaces during events. The highly controlled exhibition galleries absorb the triangular site geometry and are situated behind the sloped stone wall illuminated at night and glowing with abundant indirect north light during the day. The formal stair moves against the stone wall and is the zipper between the galleries and flexible spaces that line the long axis. The south east facing façade is windowless, activated with a glowing light strip and processional banners. The regal purple drum-shaped theater dowels the two floors together.

 © Steinkamp Photography

斯坦坎普摄影

最大的挑战是在网站上容纳这样一个复杂的项目。该中心可以接受史密森展览，有一个剧院场地，可以进行全场飞行，并将其白天的咖啡馆改造成一家在夜间可供人讲话的音乐咖啡馆。去年，由于它的中心位置和最先进的基础设施，该中心是20国集团峰会的媒体指挥中心，为全球博客和新闻媒体服务台提供服务。

The greatest challenge was to accommodate such a complex program on the site. The Center can accept Smithsonian exhibits, has a theatre venue that can fly full scenes, and transforms its daytime café into a speakeasy music café at night. Last year, because of its central location and state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Center was the media command central for the G-20 Summit feeding bloggers and news media desks globally.

 © Steinkamp Photography

斯坦坎普摄影