While the key gathering space often garners the most attention in a facility, this space would struggle to function efficiently without the support of the spaces around it. We consider the building layout and space functions holistically, so the right rooms are in the right places, exactly where they need to be and with easy connections between them to maximize efficiency.

The first step to creating the perfect storytelling space is to come up with a concept. We work with clients and design teams to create a concept that meets the project goals and promotes intimacy, energy, and human connections throughout the facility. We’ll shape each space according to its intended uses and we’ll create initial drawings to show you how we envisage them as the venue takes shape.

These flexible spaces are usually intimate and packed with smart technology so our clients can tell their stories and create experiences to support their product. These spaces often need to act as an extension of other environments owned by the client, so we take the time to familiarize ourselves with their brand and identity, understand what their goals are, then create a space that meets those needs.

There’s much more to a performance space than seats and a platform. Staging configurations, wing space, actor-audience dynamics, and several other factors will affect what it’s like to stage a performance in the room. Our designers create these highly technical and specialized spaces to suit the needs of the performers and enhance how their work is presented to their audiences.

How the audience experiences, interacts, and responds to the performer can affect the success of any event or performance. Bringing the audience closer to the stage promotes intimacy and a sense of energy within the room, so we pay particular attention to where the seats are in relation to the platform, and we create configurations to suit the programming. We’ll also do a sightline analysis to make sure every seat has a good view of the stage so everyone present can feel immersed in the action.

Rehearsal rooms, donor rooms, loading docks, dressing areas, shops, lobbies, green rooms, administrative offices, storage—the list is long. Each of these spaces performs a specific function and is highly specialized to support the meeting of actor and audience in the auditorium. We understand not only what equipment, circulation, and logistics should go into them, but also how they need to connect with each other for optimal efficiency.

While your organization may have a clear mission and a strong brand, we can help you explore options for expanding or adjusting your artistic programming strategy, determine options in seeking other event and revenue types, and help you to formulate strategic and sustainable organizational improvements and changes. We can also help develop your team and their skills to achieve goals through operational coaching sessions.

A sustainable organization needs a solid business plan. We can help to define and determine your core business activities, objectives, and goals for serving your community—or help you revisit and refine your existing plan. As part of this, we’ll work with you on developing long-term financial plans, marketing strategy, organizational structure, improvement plans, and your brand.

When you have a vision for your project, you need the right team to deliver that dream. We’ve worked with literally hundreds of firms in our 60+ years of operation, on all kinds of venue types and sizes. We can advise you on which firms offer the right expertise for your project, make introductions, and let you decide which one is the right fit for your project.

Guest experience is more than just great customer service and a friendly greeting, it’s about offering a quality service and experience in every single interaction that guests will make with your brand or venue. As you begin to develop or revisit your guest experience program, we’ll help to develop a holistic program, beginning with staff and stakeholder engagement then providing on-site experience mapping to establish guest experience standards. We’ll help you set achievable goals, develop training materials, and will even help you to train staff and volunteers.

Large performing arts centers, cultural districts, or mixed-use developments can benefit from an initial master plan to guide the future growth and development of a site. We work closely with clients and architects to understand the practical needs for venues and event spaces and plan how users and visitors will access them within the context of the surrounding environments, buildings, and social settings.

Before you make a commitment to a major new capital investment, it’s worth taking the time to determine if what you’re planning will be supported by your community, if now is the right time for it to happen, and what other considerations are at play. We’ll look at the options, analyze the data, and make impartial recommendations on how to proceed.

As you’re operating a venue, we can provide a range of services we can provide to help you manage a well-run and efficient operation. For those with new or renovated facilities, we make the transition to working in your space a smooth and more efficient process. From operational assessments, staff training, and developing action plans to ensuring the systems in your building are working as planned, our relationship with you and your users continues long after opening night. Through our operational coaching, we’re here to provide whatever help and advice you need, no matter how big or small.

The success of a well-designed venue is tied strongly to the strength of its operator. For those in search of an operator to manage and program their facilities, we can advise you on which operator structure is right for your goals and aspirations. We can also help you define key qualifications to find the best fit for your venue. We’ll even lead a search process on your behalf, allowing you to decide from a selection of qualified operators who’s the right fit for you.

When a new venue is being planned, the site selection will be one of the first and most important decisions to make. If there are multiple locations to choose between, we can help explore the merits and limitations of each site to assess which will best serve your goals—and help you plan how your proposed venue will work best within the context of the surrounding structures.

Being able to define and articulate your vision and goals is the first step to a successful project. We can help you develop your ideas and put them into words so your team, your designers, and your community can visualize what you’re planning, building a strong foundation for your venue and for your organization for the future.

Multipurpose and multiform spaces often accommodate different performance types, from opera to symphonic performances, rock concerts, and even the spoken word. We design these rooms to have adjustable acoustics to meet the needs of each performance type, and—when appropriate—we design orchestra shells to enclose the performance environment and direct sound to the audience so they can hear every single musical note perfectly.

We want to help you capture and broadcast the experiences and content you’re creating. We design recording studios, broadcast facilities, video production suites, and any space used to create and capture content. Whether you’re teaching students to record for the first time or livestreaming your biggest event of the year, we can provide the guidance and design to enable your venue with the capabilities you need.

Performance venues may be the heart of your building, but there are many other spaces that support you and your organization. We design technology systems for classrooms, conference rooms, lobbies, and any space where people gather to communicate and collaborate. We believe that technology should create a consistent user experience across an organization. Our goal is to create technology systems in these spaces that are functional, easy to use, and enhance the intended use of the space.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the level of insight we can derive from the built environment. Systems of devices collecting data and exchanging information have the capacity to create unique visitor experience, improve existing workflows, and provide detailed insight into the performance and operations of a building. We work with clients to identify opportunities where data collection and system integration can help achieve the goals of their organization, then help them make those goals a reality.

Using digital and interactive wayfinding technology in any venue is a great way to help customers orient themselves, find where they need to be, and create a more personal and engaging experience. In addition, adopting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) systems offers visitors an easily accessible way to interact with you—QR codes or similar technology will deliver relevant and timely information to them as they explore your venue.

All theatre aims to immerse the audience in a story or experience. Advances in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) have created new and exciting ways to present stories to audiences. Whether that story starts in the venue or the moment a patron walks into the building, we’ll help you to create an environment that feels even more engaging, captivating, and interactive.

As lighting technologies advance, so too does the demand for them to be used in all kinds of presenting spaces. We design lighting systems and infrastructure that are the right fit for each space, while giving the user the flexibility to change where and how they light the room, according to their programming needs.

Theatres must do many things for many people. The same space must be able to host an engaging lecture, hold a concert that has the audience dancing in the aisles, and premier a theatrical piece that suspends our disbelief until the house lights come back on. We design and specify the equipment, control systems, and infrastructure that ensure your performers are heard, your content is seen, and your space has the flexibility to support the audio, visual, and control demands of any performance.

One of the most important elements of an auditorium is often overlooked: the stage. Stages are designed to meet the specific technical and artistic needs of performers. Whether it’s a sprung floor for dancers to leap across the stage safely, hidden traps that can make an actor disappear from the stage seemingly by magic, or raised platforms to allow all members of an orchestra to be visible to the audience, stage flooring and its equipment require specialist knowledge and complex engineering know-how.

Permanent stage machinery is extremely complex and architecturally integrated into the building’s structure—from flying systems to stage revolves, horizontal drives, and mechanically raising an orchestra pit to extend the stage. Our stage engineers work with the design team from the earliest design stages to ensure that the users have all the technical staging tools they’ll need when they’re putting on a show.

As consultants we typically work in design teams on building projects, but we love to break the boundaries between designers and performers, too! We’ve collaborated on many art installations where acoustics have played a key role in production. We believe this gives us an added understanding of our end users and helps us design better facilities for everyone.

To get the best out of each performance, you need great room acoustics. The acoustical properties of an auditorium will depend on its dimensions, volume, shape, and finishes, so our acousticians establish the required acoustic criteria from the outset of the project following detailed discussions with clients and stakeholders. We make careful calculations throughout the design process to ensure those criteria are met as the auditorium’s design progresses from concept to commissioning. We also have extensive experience in designing variable acoustic systems to tailor the acoustics of a venue to the performance.

Contemporary performance spaces use modern spatialized sound systems to enhance performances. Many venues also offer sound reproduction and recording facilities. We specialize in using state of the art technologies to bring audiences the very best acoustic experience for every event while preserving the architectural beauty of the venue. We also design venues with full acoustic enhancement systems, which can vary the room acoustic qualities of a space depending on the performance taking place.

It’s not just key performance spaces that need a comfortable acoustic environment. We know that the quality of each room’s acoustics can affect the experience of the users, so we apply our acoustic knowledge to rooms throughout the facility to make your venue a more enjoyable place to work, visit, and perform in. Throughout venues, we promote inclusion by designing for acoustic clarity in communication and by minimizing heavy acoustic door sets for those with mobility constraints.

The acoustical environment of a space, particularly one where music or the spoken word are central to its function, is a key consideration in our work. At the start of a project, we can assess the suitability of the proposed site and advise on the cost implications of existing noise and vibration nearby. During design, we determine the performance requirements of building elements, such as mechanical ventilation systems. External noises like traffic can cause unwelcome distractions or ruin an otherwise excellent performance, so we carefully consider the building façade and isolation requirements, too. To minimize or eliminate these issues, we work closely with the building’s design team throughout the entire design and construction process.

The safety of all who work in the industry is of the highest importance us. We promote the philosophy of “safety by design” on all projects—from allowing adequate space and sound absorption in an orchestra pit to controlling noise levels in plant rooms. Rehearsal facilities are a particular area of focus which should not be overlooked and we work hard to achieve acoustic comfort for performers from the moment they enter the venue until they leave. We believe this has a positive impact on health, morale, and performance.

We strive for sustainable, efficient buildings from the concept stage of every job. As a part of this effort, we plan venues so that noise-sensitive spaces are separated from each other—minimizing noise transmission from one space to another and reducing the need for heavy construction materials to insulate sound. From the lobby to performance spaces and support areas, we make sure the conversations and environmental noises happening in each space are contained and don’t spill over into other areas. So, your Sunday afternoon matinee won’t be disturbed by the buzz of activity in your front-of-house spaces or by the performers rehearsing for the evening performance in an adjacent room.