A new performing arts centre including an auditorium, a recital hall and numerous music practice rooms, all designed to professional music performance standards.
The buildings are predominantly constructed using Douglas Fir, handmade brick and exposed concrete, and are set into the sloping site to help minimise bulk.
The auditorium is a rectangular concrete framed hall, 18m wide x 25m long featuring an exposed trussed timber roof structure. The form of the roofs and their choice of materials have been strongly influenced by acoustic and thermal requirements. A series of 18m span timber and steel trusses support the unusual 12-layer roof buildup, with two additional storeys above the main roof to meet natural ventilation requirements and house technical equipment.
The smaller Recital Hall, at the eastern end of the auditorium, has a pyramid shaped roof with an off-centre pitch. The recital hall, intended for smaller and more intimate performances, has a similar 12-layer buildup as the auditorium to meet high acoustic and thermal requirements.
Completed 2010.
