Mecanoo envisions the theater as an architecture immersed in the landscape and aligned with an expanded idea of dance. Through this strategy of integration, the building is embedded into the terrain, articulating its access points and circulation with the paths that connect the studios and the Artist Quad of the campus. The project stands out for its ability to create a hybrid environment between the natural and the built, using elements such as a green roof, an open veranda, and retractable façade systems that allow the performance space to adapt to different types of shows. This programmatic flexibility enables a seamless transition from intimate settings to large-scale presentations.
Both the structure and the façade of the theater are resolved through a solid timber system, using thermally treated pine as the main material, not only for its durability, but also for its aesthetic behavior as it weathers over time. This decision reflects not only sustainability and low environmental impact criteria, but also incorporates time as a poetic element, where the wood oxidizes, changes color, and registers the passing of the seasons as part of the building’s identity.
Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo. Photograph by Iwan Baan, Courtesy by Jacob's Pillow.
Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo. Photograph by Iwan Baan, Courtesy by Jacob's Pillow.
Description of project by Mecanoo
At the heart of the new Doris Duke Theatre lies a celebration of movement, space, and connection. Inspired by Mecanoo’s core values of "people, place, purpose, and poetry," the new theater captures the essence of dance, not only as an art form but as a deeply human experience intertwined with the landscape and community. Here, architecture becomes a partner in performance, a stage for expression where boundaries blur between the natural world and human creativity, offering a dynamic, living space that evolves with every step.
Rooted in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, the theater honors the rich heritage of Jacob’s Pillow while pushing the frontiers of the performing arts. Indigenous principles shape the orientation and form, grounding the design in an acknowledgment of the four directions, where North, South, East, and West hold deep meaning in Indigenous cultures. The organic, layered structure, divided into seven bands, honors the Indigenous philosophy of the “seven generations,” where environmental consciousness plays a crucial role in shaping the world for generations to come.
Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo. Photograph by Iwan Baan, Courtesy by Jacob's Pillow.
The design draws on the rhythms of nature, mirroring the fluidity and grace of dancers. Every element is crafted toward movement and transition, from the soft, sculptural forms that echo the land to the open, permeable spaces that invite light, air, and sound to flow effortlessly between interior and exterior. The building becomes a dance of its own, constantly shifting and adapting, much like the art it houses. The theater's flexible performance space embraces this ethos, offering configurations that adapt to a wide range of performances, creating spaces for both intimate gatherings and expansive digital presentations.
The connection to the landscape is more than just visual, it is tactile, spiritual, and ecological. Pathways weave through the campus, drawing visitors from the Artist Quad and studios into the heart of the theater. The performance space, with its green roof, steps gently into the landscape. The open-covered veranda, retractable walls, and glazing blur the lines between indoors and outdoors, creating a seamless transition that evokes the feeling of movement in space, light shifting across the timber facade, shadows dancing with the sun.
In keeping with Jacob’s Pillow vernacular, the theater's mass timber structure is clad in thermally treated pine, designed to weather gracefully over time. The building transforms with the seasons, its natural materials telling a story of light and shadow, time, and change, an organic register of the dance of nature. Rainwater can be collected for future reuse, and the generous veranda provides natural shading, a quiet gesture of harmony between sustainability and design. Through its form, function, and connection to the land, the new Doris Duke Theatre embodies the poetry of place, an enduring testament to the power of dance, nature, and human creativity intertwined.
