Building Blueprints (Facilities In Focus)
Performing Dual Roles
Now more than ever,
large gathering spaces in today’s
primary schools must support
and accommodate a wide variety of
programs and activities without difficult
set-up efforts or costly modifications
to the space as it is
made ready for various performances.
This is especially
true when these same spaces are used jointly
by the community, as is the case at the new
International Baccalaureate Charter Oak
International Academy in West Hartford,
Conn., which is expected to be complete in
time for the 2016-2017 school year.
An intra-district magnet school, Charter
Oak Academy is deeply rooted in the culture
of the West Hartford community, which the
ultimate design acknowledges through its
distinctive circular form while its program
and the organization of the spaces reflect
the principles of the global International
Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
(PYP). As such, it was critical that the design
the community during the planning phases
to synthesize with the facility goals and
requirements of its rigorous IB curriculum.
When the time came to
design the auditorium, one
of the spaces to be jointly
used by the community,
the majority of the community communicated
a desire for a dedicated sloped-floor
auditorium space, versus a multipurpose
cafeteria with a performance platform. As
the auditorium will host music, dance, lectures,
intimate recitals, and full orchestral
concerts by students and faculty, it will
also host performances organized and performed
by community groups and regional
professionals.
Architects, theater, lighting, and acoustical consultants must address increasing
demands on facilities to not only
accommodate these various performances,
performers, and events, but also to achieve
a high-quality experience for performers
and audiences that range in age. Moreover,
since operational costs are of great concern
to schools, these spaces must be capable of
adapting to various configurations without
substantive labor or setup expenses, often
within the same afternoon timeframe.
Since these spaces are schools and
not strictly performance venues, these
auditoriums must provide students with
an educational experience demonstrating
lighting techniques, sound amplification,
multi-media projection, and scenecraft to a span of student age groups.
As Charter Oak Academy serves elementary school-aged children,
the design team developed a classic sloped floor auditorium
utilizing continental seating that provides accessibility to all areas of
the house and stage without the need for lifts or ramps. Acoustics in
the auditorium supports both amplified and unamplified word and
music events, as well as a variety of dramatic and dance events. To
accomplish this successfully, the auditorium is equipped with trackmounted
retractable acoustic curtains. In accordance with performance
requirements, these curtains are located at the rear and side
walls with additional stage reflective panels that can be deployed
and tuned to appropriate absorptive or reflective surfaces. Additionally,
the acoustical curtains can be drawn or extended as needed to
tune a room without using any special equipment.
Good sight lines and clear and unobstructed views to all stage
areas are mandatory for families experiencing their children’s performances
or events, often for the first time. Providing adequately
sized stage space for dance movement, entering and exiting,
instruments, riser systems, props, and scenery backdrops all
combine to create a memorable performance experience for both
students and family members. Where possible, the house should
remain somewhat neutral, emphasizing the performers, stage sets,
and lighting as the main foci and attraction. However, a memorable
experience can include unique features of the auditorium that
also enhance the functional flexibility of the space.
For example, Charter Oak’s design includes a large, proscenium-sized, bi-folding glass partition located at the rear of the stage.
Not only does the glass partition provide natural light and the option
of using the natural environment outside as a scene backdrop,
but it also provides the opportunity for opening up the rear of the
stage to give access to an outdoor amphitheater and seating located
within a circular courtyard. The actual school itself can become
the stage set for certain performances; lighting and other props
can be set up within the courtyard to create unique and creative
scenes. In essence, this design provides opportunities to set up
performances for indoor and/or outdoor environments.
As mentioned previously, the auditorium stage curtains can be
drawn to provide light control and acoustical tuning to make various
stage set-ups easy and economical. Lighting systems are dead-hung
from black-iron piping and include integral retractable mechanisms.
This allows for lighting design and repositioning to be performed
without the need for galleries, catwalks, or long ladders, making
them much more accessible and useable for students.
Comfortable seating also plays a large role in the look and feel of
a school auditorium. In this case, the design team and owner elected
to use custom-fabricated bench seating that would accommodate
a large number of students for daily use and a smaller number of
adults for use during after-hours or special community events.
When designed for joint use by the community, auditoriums
must also prioritize flexibility and adaptability in addition to the
requirements of the curriculum. Besides school-sponsored venues,
we often see local performers and others booking the performance
space for public and private events. Often these smaller spaces are
the only ones that make sense economically and are recognized
more as a “public service” than as a viable financial venture;
regardless, proceeds from a joint-use facility must be carefully
planned so that each party has clearly defined rights and responsibility
in utilizing the shared school and community spaces. Moreover, issues such as availability, responsibility for set-up and
break-down, insurance, utility usage, and, most importantly, other
spaces beyond the auditorium that may be needed as “greenrooms,”
restrooms, and changing areas, make-up etc, can spread
the areas involved in a performance beyond the obvious main
lobby, toilets, auditorium, and stage areas. A well-written Memoranda
of Understanding (MOU) can avoid confusion or misunderstanding
regarding rights and responsibilities of outside parties
and school administrators.
Charter Oak Academy’s auditorium utilizes many techniques
and systems that make the space flexible, adaptable, and suitable
for a wide range of venues and functions. As an IB Primary Year
Programme (PYP) school, young students interested in learning
about theater craft or performances can experience and learn
about the variety of room set-ups, techniques, and equipment
necessary to accommodate different types of events, each with its
own requirements for lighting, acoustics, scenery, and props.
Comprised of great public places inside and out, Charter Oak
Academy is an example of a high-performance, 21st-century school
that supports not only the educational program, but the community
as well. Purposeful joint-use spaces such as this auditorium provide
an opportunity for the community to come together for a variety of
purposes. For the students of Charter Oak, this collaborative experience
can potentially lead to a lifetime appreciation for the arts and
foster career aspirations for their future.
This article originally appeared in the issue of .