Courtyard Theatre
Hereford, United Kingdom
Seat Count: 400
Project Type: New Construction
Construction Costs: £3.3 million
Opening: 1998
Architects: Glenn Howells Architects
Theatre Consultants: TechPlan International
AD Scope: Acoustics
Glenn Howells Architects won the design competition for this elegant, modern theatre building enclosing a 400-seat courtyard theatre, a 150-seat studio theatre and a rehearsal room.
The acoustics of the main theatre are adjustable using reversible acoustic panels on the side walls of the theatre to accommodate the full range of drama. For plays with intimate settings, the sound-absorbing surfaces of the panels will be exposed; for plays where the loudness of the performance is part of the effect (e.g. shouts or screams) the hard surface of the panels will be exposed.
The location of the rehearsal/dance space directly above the studio theatre produced a significant acoustical challenge. To solve this, we designed a concrete slab supported on steel springs which “floats” independent from the main structure to prevent structure borne noise.
The ventilation system, designed by Fulcrum Consulting, is a low-energy system utilizing thermal storage in the building structure. The supply air for the theatre passes through voids in the precast concrete roof slabs. This low-energy approach works well with AD’s low-noise designs for the ventilation system.
