Stevenson College has unveiled its £3.85m music and performing arts centre

Stevenson College Edinburgh has opened its £3.85m music and performing arts centre, the Music Box.

Designed by RMJM, the 2,000m2, two-storey Music Box contains teaching spaces, a recording studio, a music and dance studio, individual practice booths, classrooms and a 120-seat multipurpose auditorium, under one roof.

The Music Box, which offers recording and performance facilities for more than 350 students, has a metal "skin" that wraps around it. The skin is "peeled away" at the drum room, entrance and dance studio.

A 9 m-high foyer area with full-length roof light acts as the social hub of the building, providing a reception and informal gathering space during the day for students and a foyer for the performance venue in the evening that is open to the public and the local community. This area has been designed to maximise the benefits of natural light and ventilation provided by the glass roof light.

Adrian Boot, RMJM director, said: “Collaboration has been the key to evolving the Music Box design. RMJM held extensive workshops on site with both the client and outside bodies to finalise the brief. This has included meetings with specialists in performance spaces and acoustics to ensure that the design maximised the potential for both the students and the community."

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