Saratoga Associates: Keeping SPAC Green for Three Decades

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (05/14/2008)(readMedia)-- This morning the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, The New York State Department of Parks and Recreation and Saratoga Associates unveiled the new facelift for the SPAC Amphitheatre. Saratoga Associates, a landscape architecture, architecture, engineering and planning firm with offices in Saratoga Springs and New York City designed the new look for SPAC with two goals in mind: to compliment the timeless elegance of the center, while at the same time being environmentally friendly.

“Being ‘green’ is a principle we share with SPAC,” said Robert Bristol, founder and CEO of Saratoga Associates. “We wanted the design to reflect the status of this wonderful arts center, which for more than four decades has built a reputation as one of the best performing arts centers in the world. It was also important to us to make the design blend in with the natural environment of the rolling mountains of the Adirondacks, the gentle waves of the stream which runs through the park and the calming sounds waves that flow through the trees.”

The construction will begin in the fall, after the summer concert schedule and is expected to be complete in May 2009, in time next year’s season. The $2.5 million dollar project will include tearing down the current wooden panels that have deteriorated through decades of exposure to the elements, to be replaced with new panels of recycled resin that are virtually indestructible. Saratoga Associates also designed a more modern and energy efficient lighting system for the exterior of the Amphitheatre. “Our design takes the large sphere-like lights off the top of long poles and brings the lighting to the ground,” said Bristol. “This will be much more energy efficient, because the lights will not be illuminating the sky, instead it will bring the maximum amount of light to the ground and also compliment the sophisticated atmosphere of SPAC.” The new lighting system meets the International Dark Sky Association standards.

The exterior panels, constructed of durable recycled content resin, will be attached to the steel frames and cut in an effort to minimize waste. “This is the culmination of months of work, multiple meetings with SPAC and state officials to develop a finished product that everyone could be proud of and we have accomplished this,” said Bristol.

Saratoga Associates is getting ready to celebrate its 40th year in business and has always held preservation and conservation of the land as its’ most important principle. This new ‘green’ project is not the first for SPAC and Saratoga Associates. “We built probably one of the first ‘green’ buildings at SPAC,” said Bristol, of a project in the early 1970’s. “Of course we didn't call it ‘green’ back then.” The firm designed the box office and surrounded it on three sides with earth, trees and shrubs for two reasons: first to hide it from the main entrance in an effort to make it fit comfortably with the parks natural setting on site and also to keep the building cool in the hot summer sun.”

Saratoga Associates has been creating compelling destinations, enriching communities and safeguarding special places for 40 years. For more information go to: www.saratogaassociates.com

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