Page 25 - School Planning & Management, April 2018

Fabrication and production spaces provide an ideal opportunity for performing arts to be integrated into a school’s hands-on learning and STEAM strategy. At Winthrop Middle High School, students use this indoor/ outdoor fabrication lab to create stage sets and props.
For large musical performances, the goal is to blend and enrich the sound through volume, sidewall deflection, and long reverber- ation times. A shoebox shape provides the ideal setting for music. For theatrical performances, bringing the maximum number of viewers as close as possible to the stage provides intimacy, eye contact, legible speech, and shorter reverberation times. Therefore, a wider and shallower rectangle shape is desirable.
We balance these conflicting spatial needs with structural, acoustical, and technology solutions.
Among the options are:
• A portable acoustical shell placed behind musical performers
• Acoustical clouds and panels will direct the sound from per-
former to audience
• Sufficient ceiling height to enhance reverberance
• Side walls designed with a specific shape to reflect sound on the
sides of the audience
• Risers provided for singers to improve projection of the sound
House and Stage Harmony
Design of the house is an essential element of an inviting audience experience. Designing around a theme that relates to something specific in the community can help bring a unique flare to the space. For the Winthrop Middle High School auditorium, HMFH created acoustical clouds made of wood that resembled the Viking Long Ship boats that are designed and built by students in the school. These clouds were made from very light-colored wood which resembled driftwood to represent Winthrop as an oceans- ide community. These curving clouds direct the sound from the performance on stage out to the audience. Above the clouds and hidden from sight are important features like sprinklers, house lights, ductwork, smoke detectors and the catwalk.
If feasible, providing access directly from an upper floor helps to avoid climbing ladders up to the catwalk and increase safety for users. Also, the house will need a higher ceiling
During programming, a thorough examination of needs and frequency of use may lead to creating auxiliary practice or performance spaces to accommodate student and community needs. This multipurpose rehearsal and learning space was designed for Hanover High School.
to transmit the correct volume and produce the desired reverberation times. Side walls need to be carefully shaped to bounce the sound back to the audience, and absorptive acoustic panels should be placed in the back of the house. The acoustic panels can contribute to the aesthetic design of the space and add character by matching the cloud design or containing LED strip lights to serve as house lights.
Stage Design
The design of the stage is informed by the programming deci- sions and budget considerations. The space should have large enough wings to accommodate all the rigging for stage sets and a tall ceiling up to 50 feet to provide a fly loft. Accommodating both the rigging and space for actors in the wings is challenging, so one tactic is to use spaces such as chorus and band rooms as waiting areas. To do this, these spaces should be located off a corridor at the back of the house. In this manner, large groups of performers have a place to practice or wait and change costumes.
Storage space for instruments, costumes, the acoustic band shell, risers, and props should also be designed in the back of
the house. There should be multiple entrances for actors and musicians entering from both stage right and left. Oversized or double doors are required for props and large instruments to fit through. Vestibules placed to prevent sound from transmitting out to the school’s learning spaces, or to the audience from back- of-house activities, are a big plus. These vestibules can also work as light locks to prevent light from escaping into the stage from the back of house.
When designed well, multipurpose halls can accommodate a wide array of functions from musicians to drama and can become a resource for the school and greater community. SPM
>>Tina Stanislaski, AIA, LEED-AP, is a principal with HMFH Architects in Cambridge, Mass. She can be reached at tstanislaski@hmfh.com.
APRIL 2018 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 25
PHOTO © ED WONSEK
PHOTO © ANTON GRASSL/ESTO