When planning new performing arts facilities, it is important to understand the goals of the arts curricula and how the facilities relate to the overall school design. At Newton North High School, a new award-winning 413,000 square foot public high school in Newton, Massachusetts, performing arts is a vibrant student-centered community that produces nearly a dozen shows annually. When tasked with the design of a new school that would serve more than 1,850 students, school administration and arts leaders sought to create a professional environment where students can engage in artistic collaboration and a disciplined work ethic while exploring a range of roles both on and off stage. The resulting design anchors performing arts on one end of the school’s serpentine-like plan. A separate school entrance and generous
theatre lobby provides community access after regular school hours and a dedicated arrival sequence for performances.
The performing arts facilities consist of a 600-seat multi-purpose theatre with a fly system and orchestra pit, black box theatre, choral and music rooms, and associated support spaces. Adjacencies were developed to allow for optimal circulation, service access and sound isolation. Vestibules, dressing rooms and other support spaces help buffer the theatres; however the band and choral rooms have direct program adjacencies, which presented unusual sound isolation challenges. Next door is a noisy carpentry shop, and directly above are classrooms. At the carpentry shop, the solution was double wall construction, comprising a solid masonry wall, coupled with a separate stud and drywall partition. To protect the classrooms above, the band and chorus rooms were outfitted with resiliently suspended
double drywall ceilings.
Creating an intimate performance environment where students can project and feel a strong connection with their audiences is among the most important design goals. Optimal sightlines and acoustics are provided by the seating design, ceiling clouds and sound diffusing and absorbing finishes at the rear of the auditorium. Like many schools, the main theatre at Newton North was designed to support both theatrical and musical performances, which have different acoustical design requirements. The solution was to create a large interior volume that would enhance music, but with sufficient fixed sound diffusing and absorbing finishes (mostly at the rear of the auditorium) to assure good speech intelligibility.
Theatre equipment, lighting and special HVAC requirements are frequently big budget items that are met with scrutiny in today’s cost conscious environment. What items are necessary to create a successful theatre?
School and community leadership remained committed to creating an acoustically optimal environment. Great care was taken in both the auditorium and the black box theater to achieve very quiet background conditions. The HVAC design required very slow airflow velocities (i.e., large ducts) and the use of internal duct lining, silencers, and appropriate diffusers.
High school orchestra pits are often eliminated due to their expense, and in some instances, safety concerns. The result at most high schools is a so-called “moat” between the front row of audience seats and the stage: a wide, flat-floored expanse intended to accommodate the pit band for musicals. In addition to degrading any sense of intimacy between the audience and the stage, these “moats” prevent an acoustical balance between the pit band and the singers on stage. Fortunately for Newton North, a properly depressed orchestra pit survived the design and budget process, and the results have been outstanding both acoustically and visually.
Even in a project as well designed, outfitted, and funded as Newton North, there are usually acoustical items that one hopes to add in the future. For Newton North, the list includes a properly sized orchestra shell, a permanent entrance vestibule at the black box theater, and increased lighting dimmer capacity in the auditorium, to avoid the need for noisy portable dimmers.
Acoustical Challenges and Solutions
Here’s a sampling of acoustical issues at NNHS that may apply to your auditorium project:
Finding a suitable acoustical “balance” for a multi-use auditorium – Few high schools can afford the luxury of separate theater and music performing spaces. The challenge is to strike an appropriate acoustical balance that supports both types of performances. Sound diffusing and absorbing finishes can help achieve this. If the budget allows, making the majority of sound absorbing finishes retractable (such as velour curtains or reversible panels) will allow the space to be made acoustically “brighter” for music performances.
Keeping HVAC noise quiet – Whether audience members realize it or not, their perception of the acoustical quality of a typical high school auditorium usually depends on how quietly the HVAC system operates. These noise control measures never come cheap, but failure to deliver quiet ambient conditions can acoustically cripple any facility for generations to come.
Sound isolation – Good listening and teaching conditions in both the performing arts facilities and surrounding classrooms depend on keeping out unwanted and distracting sounds. Vestibules and support spaces can provide sound isolation; however sometimes direct program adjacencies cannot be avoided. Double wall construction and resiliently suspended drywall ceilings are solutions that worked at Newton North.
Orchestra pit – Although orchestra pits come with a high price tag, they are often worth the investment for the flexibility they provide in accommodating various types of performances.
The architect of record for Newton North High School was Dore & Whittier Architects, Inc., a New England
based architecture and project management firm.