This ensures that the technology to be installed is coordinated with the design and construction. "The key is to make sure the infrastructure is there to provide for the installation," says Jeff Brotherston, a consultant with Technology Plus, "because you can't go back and put it in without great difficulty and expense." Aurora, Colo.-based Technology Plus helps turn voice, data, and video communications technology into a competitive edge, with the integration of wireless data, audio-visual design, and security design.
Careful planning of the George Gardner Performing Arts Center allowed the facility to reflect the identity of four communities.
A - click here for photos 3. Do consider the facility's programming.
This sounds painfully obviously, but it's critical to have an accurate conception of how you plan to use the space before design is begun. For example, if you have a strong drama program and desire a thrust stage, but also have a strong film program, you have a conflict, says Steele. Similarly, if you have a strong music program, but design primarily for drama, you'll be disappointed with the acoustics.
Russellville High School Performing Arts Center and Science Center will support new band, choir, drama and art spaces.
B - click here for photos South Elgin School's auditorium is designed for community use, as well as school programs and events.
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6. Do integrate lighting with the a/v system.
This is a minor point, but an important one. Get the two designers together so that, when a production is taking place, both systems can be operated from one control room.
7. Do consider future technology needs.
This sounds like a trick - How can you possibly know your auditorium's long-term future, much less the future of technology? - but it isn't. The solution lies in your consultant, whose job it is to know trends. "Consultants don't sell equipment," says Brotherston, "and we don't make commission on the hardware that's sold. Our goal is to design what is best for the application and make sure the owner's best interests are reflected in the overall design."
Brotherston sites an example where a lot of schools still use 4-to-3 aspect ratio projectors, and an administrator may ask for that because it is what he is familiar with. However, consultants know that there is a trend toward wide screen, and would recommend that newer technology. Two or three years down the road, the administrator will either find himself wishing he knew to ask for widescreen or being appreciative of the consultant's advice.
8. Do budget early on.Accurate budgeting done early ensures you buy the best products you can afford and make informed decisions about what to cut. This is especially true in terms of technology. "Most administrators underestimate the real cost of technology," says Wayne Cornell, a supervisory consultant for audiovisual and information technologies with Acentech, "and end up with sticker shock."
9. Do be careful where you make cuts.Cutting to stay within budget isn't fun, but it is a fact of life. Listen to the advice of your architect and consultant in order to make sensible cuts. Some things you can cut back on now and upgrade later, like draperies. Some things are less flexible, like the HVAC system. For the sake of acoustics, choose a system that operates efficiently and quietly. It's better to spend a little more here for a high-quality product because it's more difficult to upgrade later.
The auditorium at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School uses duct sizing, duct silencers, vibration isolation mounts, and building constructions to reduce HVAC noise transmission.
E - click here for photos 10. Do consider acoustics.
Speaking of acoustics, if they're not good, no investment in audio equipment will leverage the problem. "Technology can't fix bad acoustics," Brotherston says succinctly.
Dassel-Cokato High School Performing Arts Center was designed for high-quality acoustics:
F - click here for photos Oxford High School Auditorium features acoustical surfaces of overlapped skin layers of varied angled and shaped walls of acoustic shells, clouds, and walls.
G - click here for photos Buffalo Academy's Performing Art Center is outfitted with a "tunable acoustic system."
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Westbourne Grammar's James Mitchell Centre Theatre boasts tuned acoustics that allow for lectures to be delivered without microphones.
I - click here for photos 11. Do plan to meet ADA early on.Meeting ADA requirements simply can't be tacked on at the end of design. There's much to consider, says Steele. For example, how are you going to get physically challenged patrons from the lobby to the seating to the stage? Also, the control room and dressing rooms have to be accessible. Physically challenged performers have to be able to move from the dressing rooms to the stage.
12. Do keep it simple.
Every space is a teaching space, and the auditorium should be about the students. Therefore, don't spend money on lobby fixtures that could be used to upgrade the stage lighting. Don't make the space bigger than it needs to be and thereby cut money from the acoustics budget.
13. Do consider peripheral space.
Of course, you're going to plan on a stage and seating. But there's so much more. As Steele says, the performing arts is 90 percent rehearsal and 10 percent performance. Consider that when designing wing space; the adjacent band room, drama room, and choir room; and the scene shop, costume shop, and green room.
Jerry Durrant Auditorium includes a number of peripheral spaces, including, but not limited to, a scenery shop, rehearsal hall, band hall, and choir hall.
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Clovis Performing Arts Center provides convenient access to the Box Office, snack-bar, and toilets directly from the lobby.
K - click here for photos Some peripheral space - including classrooms, practice and performance space for drama, choral, and orchestra curriculum - for Woodside Priory School's Performing Arts Center is located in nearby buildings.
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Keep the above points in mind when designing your next project, and everyone - students, teachers, and guests - will give you a standing ovation. Maybe they'll even put you in the spotlight on center stage!
