University of Pittsburgh - Alumni Hall Auditorium Renovation

Design Team: Perkins Eastman
Location: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Market: Education
Products: Xorel Colette Couture
End Use: Wrapped Panels

The University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall Auditorium was a renovation of an existing theater space that was last updated in the 1960s. The building was originally constructed in 1913 as a Masonic Temple, with a lot of the historic interior elements and details still intact. The project objective was to create a modern, refreshed, and heavily branded presentation space and lecture hall, while honoring its historical characteristics.

The auditorium, which is used by the Office of Admissions as a selling point for prospective students and their families, needed an upgrade to reflect the university’s high standards. With the removal of existing fiber wall panels, the auditorium needed better acoustical absorption. The wallcovering also needed to be extremely durable and cleanable, as well as textured, to work with perimeter RGBW wall grazing light fixtures. Carnegie Xorel Colette Couture was selected as a perfect choice, meeting all of these application requirements. It was deployed as stretch fabric over perimeter acoustic wall panels on the 7th floor auditorium and 8th floor balcony.

“The team at Carnegie has been great to work with. When an inventory and timing issue arose for our preferred product, our Carnegie rep and the Carnegie Design Services team actively worked with me to provide alternate Xorel options that would meet the yardage requirements and maintain the project’s timeline. Thanks to the Carnegie team’s efforts, we ultimately were able to use our originally specified Xorel, Colette Couture, and keep the project on schedule.” 

- Jade Morningstar, Perkins Eastman

Carnegie Xorel was selected for its proven quality, high durability, ease of maintenance and cleaning. Since this project was for a high-traffic space in higher education, it needed a robust wall covering that would perform well for many years. Colette Couture was specifically chosen for its unique texture and ability to reflect the RGBW perimeter lighting, creating a dramatic theatrical atmosphere sought by the design team. The combination of high durability and aesthetic qualities made Carnegie Colette Couture ideal for this application. The subtle ripples evoke theatrical curtains while the three-dimensional texture captures and reflects the RGBW lighting, seamlessly blending historic and modern cues while creating a neutral backdrop for an immersive branded experience.