Yale School of Architecture
"The Sound of Architecture"
October 5, 2012 11:00am - 1pm
"The Sound of Architecture"
October 5, 2012 11:00am - 1pm
Puck, Wagner, and the Hollywood Bowl
I’m not sure whether it was my intensifying hunger and/or my craving for a hot caffeinated beverage and/or the thick foreign accents of the next speakers, but I was not as alert during the following presentations and my recaps may suffer as a result...
ON STAGE
Beat Wyss “Simultaneity and Succession: The Stuff of Dreams on Stage”
Wyss introduced his talk as the joining together of Shakespeare and Palladio via the theater in Vicenza, Italy. If you ask me how in fact he did this, I would be at a loss to say specifically. It was my impression that he used stage direction from the Shakespeare play “Midsummer Night’s Dream” overlaid with images of Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza to illustrate the context for which the “Dream” was created. Overall, it felt as though Wyss only got through half of the intended lecture and was therefore unable to close the loop he had first proposed. How this talk addressed the over arching theme of “sound and architecture” I am still not sure.
 |
| Teatro Olimpico |
Dorothea Baumann “Gottfried Semper, Richard Wagner, and the Changing Acoustic Conditions for Music Theater in the 19th Century”
I quite enjoyed Baumann’s talk which covered a wide range of evolving theater structures referring back to the first inspirational trip Gottfried Semper took to Pompeii in the 1830’s. She tracked the influence of the Pompeian theaters from the Sydenham Crystal Palace antique theater reconstruction through several iterations of temporary German structures originally conceived of as provisional theaters for a limited number of debut performances. At this point Wagner appears on the stage (hehe) as he adapts an unrealized project by Semper for a Munich opera house, and supervises its construction in Bayreuth, Germany. This theater incorporates parallel side walls, semi-circular seating, a second proscenium, and a sunken orchestra pit partially hidden beneath the stage itself (an important development in the evolution of theater design). At this point Baumann presented a series of slides which addressed basics of sound behavior within theater spaces. She cited the influential acoustician Leo Beranek and noted the importance of integrated signal reception consisting of the direct signal, wall reflections, ceiling reflections and stage reflections. Her blending of historical information, technical details, and the human characters of Semper and Wagner, made for a rich and well rounded lecture on the topic.
 |
| Theaters at Pompeii |
 |
| Bayreuth Festspielhaus |
Craig Hodgetts “The Ear, the Eye, and the Space”
At this point it was refreshing to have an architect present some realized work, as it became increasingly clear that the majority of speakers did not come from an architectural background and which was, in my opinion, ultimately detrimental to the symposium as a whole. In any case, Hodgetts was straightforward and to the point, walking the audience through three full projects and quickly skimming over a fourth. Hodgetts began with his work on the Grauman’s Egyptian Theater for American Cinematheque, originally built in 1922 and restored and renovated multiple times before Hodgetts became involved. The task was to renovate the theater overall, preserving the original decor and atmosphere of the space while simultaneously improving upon the acoustics for contemporary movie viewing (which requires a very dry/absorptive environment). The solution included a series of moving acoustical panels which were retracted as the audience filed in, but which extended into place at the start of a film. The next project presented was The Wild Beast Music Pavilion at CalArts. The pavilion is a flexible space which is required to accommodate multiple programs (though not necessarily simultaneously) including a recital hall, rehearsal room, outdoor hall, classroom etc. Basically the structure has to perform well acoustically while taking into account a variety of source locations and sizes. Quite a challenge! Dynamic and mechanical structures were once again incorporated into the scheme which included a series of clerestory windows controlled with actuators to open and close according to the type of program being performed. The renovation of the Hollywood Bowl was the last project thoroughly presented. Hodgetts began with a brief history of the Bowl and its evolution (began as a natural amphitheater, then the addition of orchestra shells all the way to Frank Gehry’s sonotube environment). In 1998 Hodgetts + Fung were asked to update the site which resulted in the enlargement of the shell and the incorporation of computer controlled acoustic louvers which respond specifically to the atmospheric conditions in addition to performance parameters. One of the most interesting aspects of this strategy is that the Hollywood Bowl now possesses a database of information which tracks conditions and allows for the optimization of the louvers. To me, this kind of responsive and informed architecture has the potential to be a valuable step in the evolution of buildings.
At this point it was refreshing to have an architect present some realized work, as it became increasingly clear that the majority of speakers did not come from an architectural background and which was, in my opinion, ultimately detrimental to the symposium as a whole. In any case, Hodgetts was straightforward and to the point, walking the audience through three full projects and quickly skimming over a fourth. Hodgetts began with his work on the Grauman’s Egyptian Theater for American Cinematheque, originally built in 1922 and restored and renovated multiple times before Hodgetts became involved. The task was to renovate the theater overall, preserving the original decor and atmosphere of the space while simultaneously improving upon the acoustics for contemporary movie viewing (which requires a very dry/absorptive environment). The solution included a series of moving acoustical panels which were retracted as the audience filed in, but which extended into place at the start of a film. The next project presented was The Wild Beast Music Pavilion at CalArts. The pavilion is a flexible space which is required to accommodate multiple programs (though not necessarily simultaneously) including a recital hall, rehearsal room, outdoor hall, classroom etc. Basically the structure has to perform well acoustically while taking into account a variety of source locations and sizes. Quite a challenge! Dynamic and mechanical structures were once again incorporated into the scheme which included a series of clerestory windows controlled with actuators to open and close according to the type of program being performed. The renovation of the Hollywood Bowl was the last project thoroughly presented. Hodgetts began with a brief history of the Bowl and its evolution (began as a natural amphitheater, then the addition of orchestra shells all the way to Frank Gehry’s sonotube environment). In 1998 Hodgetts + Fung were asked to update the site which resulted in the enlargement of the shell and the incorporation of computer controlled acoustic louvers which respond specifically to the atmospheric conditions in addition to performance parameters. One of the most interesting aspects of this strategy is that the Hollywood Bowl now possesses a database of information which tracks conditions and allows for the optimization of the louvers. To me, this kind of responsive and informed architecture has the potential to be a valuable step in the evolution of buildings.
No comments:
Post a Comment