Hancher Auditorium and Voxman Music Building on the University of Iowa campus were named winners of the prestigious 2018 American Architecture Awards for the best new buildings designed and constructed by American architects in the U.S. and abroad and by international architects for buildings designed and built in the United States.  The American Architecture Awards are the nation’s highest public awards given by a non-commercial, non-trade-affiliated public arts, culture, and educational institution. 

Hancher Auditorium opened in 2016 after the original building was destroyed in the 2008 flood. The 192,000-square-foot building was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and OPN Architects includes a 1,800-seat theater, rehearsal hall, front-of-house and back-of-house support spaces, administrative offices, a café, and an outdoor terrace.  

Voxman Music Building also opened in 2016 after the home of the School of Music was irreparably damaged in the 2008 flood. The new space was designed by LMN Architects and Neumann Monson PC and includes classrooms, teaching studios, a library, offices, recital spaces, a rooftop terrace, and a 700-seat recital hall. Its rehearsal rooms and recital halls feature elements that isolate sound and enhance acoustics.