The Wooden Floor

Santa Ana, CA

The Wooden Floor
22,000 sq. ft.

The mission of The Wooden Floor (formerly Saint Joseph Ballet) is to help low-income, ethnically diverse youth gain self-esteem, self-discipline, and a sense of accomplishment through dance and academic and family service programs. The school’s new Santa Ana home is a unique facility for children who dance, conveying through its architectural design the notion that “movement happens here.” This movement is evoked in the curves of the outside walls, as well as in the volumes and roof forms throughout the space. The new performing arts space and gateway project for Santa Ana’s museum district is a two-story glass and cinder block building with three dance studios, dressing rooms, a courtyard, community room, volunteer room, and education center. The building’s design recalls the graceful elements of dance performance, and curved roof forms structurally manifest the artistic expressions performed by the students inside.