EMPAC
Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center
The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, known as EMPAC, is one of RPI’s most architecturally distinctive and innovative buildings. It’s also one of the most controversial buildings, occurring during a tumultuous time in our school’s finances and costing significantly more than expected. Opened in fall 2008, it represents the Institute’s desire to further combine tech, arts and research. In fact, the New York Times identified EMPAC as exemplifying “the concert hall of the 21st century,” reflecting the facility’s distinctiveness.
Institutional Development and Historical Context
EMPAC emerged as a centerpiece of the Rensselaer Plan, President Shirley Ann Jackson’s strategic initiative to transform RPI into a top-tier research university. It was part of a broader institutional effort to position RPI at the forefront of fields integrating technology and creativity.
Construction started in September 2003, starting with the removal of over 100,000 cubic yards of earth from the 8th Street hillside. Due to the location of EMPAC being situated a hill, the construction process required installation of 215 rock anchors, among the largest in North America at over 210 feet in length, to stabilize foundation structures into the steep hillside.
EMPAC is named after Curtis R. Priem, an NVIDIA co-founder and member of RPI’s Class of 1982, who donated $40 million to the Institute in 2004 as an unrestricted gift.
Architectural Design and Specifications
London-based Grimshaw Architects designed EMPAC’s architecture, creating spaces optimized for experimental performance and research through both aesthetic and functional design strategies. At 220,000-square-feet, EMPAC contains: a 1,200-seat acoustically optimized concert hall, a 400-seat theater, and two black-box studios designed for use by artists and researchers.
Environmental and Material Innovation
The main concert hall’s exterior incorporates 36,000 square feet of Western Red Cedar sourced from sustainable British Columbia forests, selected for fire-retardant properties and aesthetic characteristics.[^3] A 20,000-square-foot heated glass curtain wall features mullions carrying heated water to insulate the structure from Northern New York winters, marking the first institutional adoption of this heating technology in the United States.[^3] EMPAC achieved LEED Silver environmental certification, reflecting institutional environmental consciousness in institutional design and operations.[^3]
The building’s architecturally distinctive appearance—particularly the dramatic glass facade and warm cedar cladding—renders it instantly recognizable across campus and visible from much of Troy.[^5] ArchDaily featured EMPAC as a noteworthy contemporary architectural innovation example.[^5]
Operational Functions and Programming
EMPAC functions both as a performance venue and research facility, hosting events spanning classical concerts to experimental multimedia performances.
Performance Programming
Demonstrating the versatility of EMPAC, various concerts are held: contemporary and experimental music exploring sonic boundaries, dance and theater productions, film screenings and multimedia presentations, and lectures and symposia at the arts-technology intersection.[^6] This institutional programming establishes EMPAC as a cultural hub for both RPI and the broader Capital Region, bringing world-class performances to Troy.[^6]
Research Infrastructure
Beyond performance venue functions, EMPAC functions as a platform for research and creative work at the art-technology intersection.[^6] Artists, researchers, and students utilize EMPAC’s specialized spaces and equipment to explore novel forms of expression and investigate how technology can expand artistic possibilities.[^6] This institutional research dimension differentiates EMPAC from conventional performing arts centers, positioning it as a laboratory for experimentation in media, sound, performance, and visual arts.[^6]
Campus and Community Impact
EMPAC’s institutional presence has substantially transformed both RPI’s campus and its relationship with the surrounding community.[^6] The facility provides a venue for major events, attracting visitors who would otherwise never experience RPI’s campus, while offering students opportunities to experience world-class performances within Troy.[^6] The facility has enhanced RPI’s institutional profile in arts and technology fields, attracting faculty and students engaged in interdisciplinary work at this intersection, while signaling that RPI values creative expression alongside technical innovation.[^6]
Institutional Financial Context and Contemporary Significance
EMPAC’s construction occurred during substantial campus expansion under President Shirley Ann Jackson, financed substantially through institutional debt that subsequently generated institutional controversy.[^2] While EMPAC has received widespread architectural and cultural recognition, RPI’s institutional financial health debates have encompassed questions regarding whether such ambitious projects were fiscally judicious.[^2]
These institutional debates reflect broader higher education questions regarding institutional priorities and the institutional balance between physical infrastructure investment competing for institutional prestige and fiscal conservation demanding more modest institutional ambitions.[^2] EMPAC remains central to these institutional questions at RPI, embodying both the successes and costs of ambitious institutional transformation.[^2]
References
[^1]: Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Wikipedia; Rensselaer Opens EMPAC [^2]: Shirley Ann Jackson [^3]: Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Wikipedia; Curtis R. Priem EMPAC - Institute Archives [^4]: EMPAC Building [^5]: EMPAC/Grimshaw - ArchDaily [^6]: About EMPAC