EXTECH/Exterior Technologies is thrilled to announce that the transformation of Chapman University’s Sandi Simon Center for Dance in Orange County, California–designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)–was featured in America ByDesign, Season 4, Episode 1. The show premiered on, August 16, 2025, at 9 pm EDT on CBS News.
This episode offers an exclusive inside look at how the thoughtful architectural design repurposed a historic 1918 orange-packing facility into a cutting-edge arts hub, and how EXTECH’s LIGHTWALL technology played a pivotal role in the project’s success.
Celebrating Innovation and Heritage
Originally built for the Santiago Orange Growers Association, the building’s heavy timber frame, sawtooth roof, and industrial façade were vital to its historic character. LOHA’s adaptive-reuse strategy preserved this heritage while carving out a dynamic and functional three-level dance center through a calculated cut through the original floor, opening an atrium flooded with daylight. The center includes five studios, a performance space, classrooms, faculty offices, and energetic communal areas—all organized with graceful circulation paths that invite movement and student interaction. The project is a 2024 AIA Orange County Design Award recipient and has been featured in ArchDaily and Architectural Digest.
Extech’s LIGHTWALL Brings Light and Seamless Aesthetics
At the heart of the Center’s luminous interior is EXTECH’s LIGHTWALL 3440 system—spanning approximately 4,900 sq ft of the atrium. Featuring opal polycarbonate panels and clear-anodized framing, the system delivers diffused daylight, enhanced insulation, and soundproofing
Tune In: See Design in Motion
Available now, watch the AIA-exclusive edit of America ByDesign and see how architecture, daylighting technology, and adaptive reuse transform a historic warehouse into a vibrant center of movement and learning.
