Lucent Technologies Center for Arts Education, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

The Lucent Technologies Center for Arts Education houses the arts education department of New Jersey Performing Arts Center and is situated adjacent to the Performing Arts Center. The Lucent Technologies Center building underwent renovations as an "adaptive reuse" project and opened in the spring of 2001. The facility contains a theater, two dance studios, seven classrooms, nine practice rooms, and office space.

The facilities of the Center are designed to support educational department programs and to stage modest performances. The theater accommodates approximately 150 people on demountable risers, and is equipped with acoustical curtains, sound and communication systems, a production lighting system, and pipe grid. The mirrored dance studios have the requisite sprung floors and ballet barres. Music practice rooms are also equipped with acoustical curtains and other acoustic treatment to minimize noise.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center opened in 1997 and is composed of two major performance spaces - Prudential Hall and Victoria Theatre - a striking all-glass lobby, restaurants, dressing rooms, founders lounge, bar, cafe and gift shop. Every year the Center presents a multitude of touring groups and companies along with performances by its New York City's American Ballet Theatre, and NJPAC's resident company, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Artec provided Design and Planning services covering Auditorium Design, Facility Planning, Specialized Performance Equipment Systems Design and Background Noise and Vibration Control consulting for the Lucent Technologies Center for Arts Education. The Architect for this renovation/adaptive reuse was Kaplan Gaunt DeSantis Architects, of Red Bank, New Jersey.