Herndon Cultural Arts Center Herndon, Virginia  
 

The master plan and conceptual design for a new Cultural Arts Center for Herndon, VA, a suburb of Washington DC, guides the way for a new home for local arts groups and performances, as well as pointing to a transformation of a significant portion of downtown.

Located in western Fairfax County, Herndon is the third largest town in Virginia with a population of 22,000: over the past 20 years the town has become a center for internet

technology, yet still retains a strong sense of community with a small-town charm.

The design team identified local and regional users and developed a building program for the center that balanced expansive ‘wish lists’ with more restrictive budgets. Once the building program, which includes a 275-seat theatre, a 100-seat function hall, and an art gallery, was developed, the program was tested with the firm’s technique of “program		 massing blocks” on a model of downtown sites and studied for urban design strengths and weaknesses.

Ultimately two site plans were presented, one outlining the arts center itself on the preferred site, the second showing planning for future adjacent developments. Each was received enthusiastically and the project is scheduled to move into schematic design moving forward.