Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Western Ontario

  • 03/01/16

Project Snapshot

PROJECT: Paul Davenport Theater
INSTITUTION: University of Western Ontario
LOCATION: London, ON, Canada
COMPANY NAME: Wenger Corporation
WEBSITE: www.wengercorp.com

Paul Davenport Theater

THE CHALLENGE

The University of Western Ontario (UWO) offers 400 specializations, majors and minors to 36,000-plus students. When planning the renovation of UWO’s Talbot Theatre, faculty goals included better sound for a range of performances and sound levels that were less overpowering.

THE SOLUTION

Additional cubic volume was needed to improve reverberance, so UWO enlarged the space by demolishing a floor of classrooms above the theatre. This raised the ceiling and increased the room’s volume by 33 percent. As part of this renovation, a Diva® full-stage acoustical shell was installed; its towers and ceiling panels were manufactured to satisfy specific acoustical requirements.

The shell’s design accounted for the shallow stage depth, which squeezed the available space for freestanding acoustical towers. The three rear towers were attached to the stage’s back wall, with three movable towers on each side.

The ceiling panels, or clouds, consist of four rows of five panels each. Openings between the panels allow some sound to escape, and the ability to fine-tune each panel’s angle is another advantage. Operationally, two primary shell setups are used regularly: the full shell for large ensembles, or six towers arranged in an arc — using half the clouds — for smaller concerts or recitals. A four- to five-person crew can set up the shell from its storage position and then strike it back into its storage position in approximately four hours. With the patented, electric-powered Air Transporter, one person can easily move a 1,350-pound tower.

Paul Davenport Theater

With the Air Transporter, one person can easily move a 1,350-pound shell tower.

Visually, this Diva shell complements the aesthetics of the renovated auditorium, which was renamed the Paul Davenport Theatre. Birchwood is featured on many auditorium finishes, including the proscenium arch and Diva shell, which features a warm-looking birch veneer.

IMPACT ON LEARNING

A main goal of the project — for student musicians to fully realize the benefits of their rehearsals — is realized through the use of improved acoustics. In UWO’s larger renovated space, the Diva shell creates a “blending chamber” for sound on stage, improving communication among musicians and their director.

“As a musician performing in the hall, the most important thing is the supportive environment and inspiration that comes with the warmth and presence,” comments Stéphan Sylvestre, assistant professor of piano and Keyboard Division coordinator. “As an audience member, there’s definitely much better clarity and sound projection.”

Editor’s Review

For all students, but particularly for music students, the acoustics of their learning spaces matter. Good acoustic design results from careful manipulation of two factors: initial time delay and reverberation time. Reverberation time is related to the volume (size) of the room and the noise absorption of its surfaces. With close attention paid to these factors in the renovation of what is now the Paul Davenport Theater, the result is a much-improved, acoustically ideal space that will allow music professors to teach and students to learn, rehearse and perform at a higher level than before the renovation.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.