“It had to be that the stage and the audience were one”

Name: Kara Hill

About: An award-winning architect and architectural historian, Kara Hill is the principal of Kara Hill Studio, a Minneapolis-based architecture firm. While at Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA) she designed The Soraya, which earned the 1,700 seat performing arts center a LEED Gold certification because of its energy-efficient design and features. From 1994 to 2007, Hill worked at the firm of Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. As a lead project designer, she led design teams of architects and engineers from the initial marketing efforts through construction administration. Her projects included performing arts centers, museums, conservatories, and corporate headquarters. She has taught art and architecture at MIT, Harvard University, and the University of Minnesota.

Website: www.karahill.com

A Look back at building of The Soraya 

Jean and David Fleming Grand Staircase (Rendering) (Photo: Courtesy of HGA Architects and Engineers)

Jean and David Fleming Grand Staircase (Construction) (Photo: Courtesy of CSUN)

Jean and David Fleming Grand Staircase (Complete) (Photo: Luis Luque)

[Back L-R] David, Angella, Soraya Nazarian, President Dianne F. Harrison, Kara Hill [Front L-R] Younes Nazarian and Itzhak Perlman (Photo: )

The Soraya (Rendering) (Photo: Courtesy of HGA Architects and Engineers)

The Soraya (Construction) (Photo: Courtesy of CSUN)

The Soraya (Complete) (Photo: Lee Choo)

Courtyard (Rendering) (Photo: Courtesy of HGA Architects and Engineers)

Courtyard (Construction) (Photo: Courtesy of CSUN)

Courtyard (Complete) (Photo: Luis Luque)