The Andrew J. Brady Music Center brings a new venue to The Banks neighborhood in Cincinnati along the Ohio River. The riverfront venue features one main floor and two balcony levels overlooking the inside stage, seating 4,400 people indoors and hosting up to 8,800 for the seasonal outdoor stage.

In designing the new $27-million venue, architects had a vision for a unique, contemporary building envelope to capture the attention of concert goers. The project team turned to CENTRIA for rainscreen panels with eye-catching coatings.

Supporting Custom Facades

On the outside of the music center, 25,000 square feet of CENTRIA EcoScreen Style-Rib perforated panels in Purple Rain Kolorshift create a dynamic facade that shifts in the sunlight and moonlight. The EcoScreen panels were installed over glazing, delivering a unique view from inside the venue as well.

“The iridescent Kolorshift coating was a huge draw for the team. The changing hues in different lights were a compelling feature for the architect,” said Chase Cupryk, project manager at Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal. “We went on a tour of the CENTRIA plant with the architect to see the Kolorshift perforated panels in production to see how the design visions were coming to fruition.”  

EcoScreen Style-Rib is a high-strength panel with uniformly spaced ribs and staggered perforation patterns to create an airy aesthetic with outstanding performance. The perforated screenwalls are created through a unique fabrication process using 20-guage stainless steel and 0.040-inch painted aluminum.

Kolorshift is an iridescent PVDF architectural coating that changes hues with varying angles of light, dynamically shifting from one color to another as light reaches it. The result is a continuous color gradient that reimagines design possibilities.

In addition to the perforated EcoScreen, crews installed 15,500 square feet of IW Series rainscreen panels in two shades – Midnight Bronze, and Medium Gray. Architects selected three panel facings of IW Series – IW-20, IW-13, and IW-10 – to create a custom aesthetic.

IW Series metal rainscreen panels eliminate exposed fasteners for a clean, unbroken aesthetic. The single-skin metal panels can be installed year-round, fast-tracking scheduling and offering a potential reduction in construction costs. The concealed fasteners deliver a smooth finish, and the common-lock joint makes the panels interchangeable while minimizing moisture intrusion.

Opening Night

Construction began in December 2019, and the music center opened in July 2021. The Andrew J. Brady Music Center was nominated for 2022 Theater of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and was nominated for a 2022 AIA Ohio Award.