Ocean Music Venue
Hackney, United Kingdom

Seat Count: 2,100
Project Type: Renovation
Original Construction: 1920
Opening: March 2001
Architect: Architecture for the Arts
Theatre Consultant: Paul Jenkins
A/V Installation: Northern Light, Edinburgh
AD Scope: Audio Systems, Video Systems,
Acoustics

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Hailed by Time Out Magazine as “the most technologically advanced music venue in the world,” Ocean opened March 15, 2001, in London’s cultural quarter in Hackney. Ocean is all about celebrating live music.

Ocean’s three performance spaces (Ocean 1, 2 and 3) offered artists and audiences a range of performance environments. These venues were joined by Rising Tide—an education facility . The goal was to allow Ocean to pursue an imaginative artistic policy that develops traditional, contemporary classical, popular and experimental music at the highest levels.

The sound system in Ocean 1—capable of producing the sound levels required by high-energy music—is a left/center/right system with delay speakers for the balcony. Additional speakers are suspended from the balcony face and aimed at the main floor, so the people on the floor are surrounded by music while dancing.

In addition to the 2,100 capacity main hall, Ocean has two smaller venues. Ocean 2 offers a smaller, intimate performance space with a capacity of 300. The sound system was designed to accommodate the moveable stage—the stage can be located on the short wall or the long wall. A centralized digital signal processing system allows the speakers to be configured without moving equipment. Ocean 3 has a seating capacity of 100 and was designed for experimental and non-mainstream music events.

The control of the sound, video, lighting and building management systems is integrated through a touch-screen control system. With password controlled access, administrators, technicians or bar managers can gain full control over the building systems they are using.

Video systems throughout the building contribute to Ocean’s cutting edge look, including three large projection screens in the Atrium. The external window areas at the upper levels of the building are filled with video images that are viewed from both sides of the screens. Video images enliven the main public square and animate the foyer areas. The screens can provide the passerby with a glimpse of the current events on the stage or provide a canvas for public video art projects.

The building was formerly a 1920’s Methodist hall. The original ceiling was shaped like a barrel. AD changed the shape of the ceiling with custom panels which scatter the sound. The panels also open up—like giant clams—to expose sound absorbing surfaces on the inside. The side benefit to the acoustic adjustment is the excellent acoustical separation between the on-stage monitor mix and the front-of-house mix. AD also designed a low-noise ventilation system for the room. This can be operated at low volume (for a nonsmoking, seated audience) or high-volume (for a smoking, standing audience). Even at high volume, the ventilation system is quiet.

Update | The Ocean Venue served as one of London's few independent music venues until it went into administration. The venue now sits closed awaiting its next incarnation.