Page 16 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

spaces4learning THEATERS/PERFORMING ARTS
The MAC’s lobby is designed for flexible use, to draw the
community into the campus for event opportunities such as hosting an art gallery, or to provide students with space for impromptu performances.
and build process. To ensure this, Neenan consulted closely with an acoustician throughout the project. Acoustical considerations dictated the building’s overall shape and height, to deliver spa- cious rooms for maximum impact. The site constraints added to the project’s complexity, and the design team opted to stack classrooms in order to maximize the space available. Acoustics also determined the building’s layout, with painstaking care to strategically separate spaces and prevent sound from passing be- tween classrooms, or into the auditorium.
Neenan integrated acoustical features thoughtfully, trans- forming them into design elements that enhanced the visual ap- peal of the building, in conjunction with its utility. For example, the design team selected acoustic wall treatments in distinct colors and shapes, arranged artfully along classroom walls to enhance the building’s aesthetic. Other acoustical features were downplayed in the building design. The sound-dampening el- ements along the auditorium walls were made black to better fade into the background.
Perhaps the most remarkable features of The MAC are its care- ful marriage of design and function. Neenan and Mapleton Public Schools delivered a design that ensures young performers’ voices would project throughout the entirety of the 900-seat theater, while keeping the space from feeling intimidating to a student. Focusing on the shape of the auditorium brought the final row of the theater
PHOTOS © MICHAEL ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY
Functionally, the building needed to serve dual purposes. Not only was a theater and event space necessary, but also a fully oper- ational secondary school. Each space was designed to foster a safe and approachable environment for students to harness real-world skills to grow in the arts.
Essentially every space within the building is used for per- formance, so the quality of the sound was critical in the design
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