a reimagined northrop auditorium...technical focus: renovation performance venues that were designed...

88 • June 2016 • Lighting&Sound America

TECHNICAL FOCUS: RENOVATION

Performance venues that weredesigned several decades ago oftenneed to be revitalized to bring theirAVL facilities in line with changingclient demands. A good example ofthis process occurred recently at theUniversity of Minnesota, whose cav-

ernous, 85-year-old Northrop MemorialAuditorium—known for severaldecades as “The Carnegie Hall of theMidwest”—had reached the end of itsuseful life, requiring a major upgrade.The result, which formally opened inApril 2014 after a three-year, $88-mil-

lion renovation of the building’s interior,comprises a remodeled complex thatfeatures a more intimate main venuestyled in a hybrid, opera-house-and-lyric theatre form, together with a new168-seat lecture/film/recital hallequipped with an active architecturesystem. Also added were new pre-function, rehearsal, and academicspaces.

The project represented both anarchitectural and engineering chal-

A Reimagined Northrop AuditoriumBy: Mel Lambert

“The Carnegie Hall of the Midwest” is brought up to date

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Copyright Lighting&Sound America June 2016 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • June 2016 • 89

lenge; the goal was to retain the iconic1929 exterior while demolishing mostof the interior space and starting overwith a new configuration. Many his-toric architectural elements wereretained or repurposed; among thesewere the original proscenium arch andhistoric urns and columns now framingthe entrance into the auditorium.Essentially, the original two-level sin-gle-balcony shoebox configuration,with 4,800 seats, was replaced with afour-level horseshoe-shaped layout,eliminating approximately 2,100 seats;the narrower, shallower area—nowrenamed The Carlson Family Stage—was strategically reduced to 50% of itsoriginal size; now, 80% of the patronsare seated within 100' of the stage.The venue was recently listed amongthe Top 50 Best Concert Venues for2015 by Complex.com.

Hammel, Green and Abrahamson(HGA) Architects and Engineers servedas the project’s architects of record,working closely with Arup as acoustic,audiovisual, and theatrical consultants.Professional Audio Designs suppliedthe AV systems, while the rigging con-tractor was J. R. Clancy. The con-struction manager was J. E. Dunn,with SECOA and its subcontractorSerapid supplying the orchestra lift,Staging Concepts the seating wagons,and acouStaCorp the adjustableacoustics systems. CK Wegner provid-ed the new orchestra enclosure, andMinneapolis-based Gopher StageLighting an array of ETC performancelighting and dimming systems.

Arup and HGA collaborated on thenew room’s shape and form, utilizingstone, wood, and plaster to turn theformer venue’s reputation for challeng-ing acoustics into a widely acclaimedexperience for all styles of perform-ance. A sound-isolated control boothwas added, together with discreetlyplaced side boxes. By trimming closeto 40' from the back of the space, anew inner lobby has been provided,while the theatre is now ringed withextra balconies. Located beneath the

uppermost balcony on the fourth flooris the new 168-seat Best Buy Theater..A new backstage crossover lets per-formers move easily from stage left tostage right; previously, they had topass through the basement. An extra15' of space also was added to thestage’s depth. One of the auditorium’smost memorable fixtures—a massivechandelier—has been placed in stor-

age because it was determined that inthe new space it would block theviews of at least a third of the upper-balcony seats.

“To help identify the project’s pri-mary goals, prior to design we devel-oped a list of governing values,” statesMichael Denny, Northrop’s projectexecutive, who oversaw each seg-ment. “We wanted to advance the uni-

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The four-level horseshoe layout accommodates 2,100 seats.

The renovation in progress.


versity’s academic priorities by creat-ing spaces that foster interdisciplinaryscholarship, learning, and collabora-tion, and which serve the entire com-munity and beyond, including a world-class, multi-purpose performance hallwith exceptional acoustics and sight-lines, as well as state-of-the-art tech-nology and back-of-house support.”

In terms of the revitalized venue’sprogram, Denny says, “First and fore-most, the Northrop supports the uni-versity’s dance program, while contin-uing to be used for graduations, con-vocations, and special institutionalevents; film, lecture, and recital events

will be accommodated in the Best BuyTheater.”

According to Joshua Cushner, leadacoustician and project director forArup, the project came to the consul-tancy “through an invited interviewprocess with the university. Primarily,Northrop had traditionally been—andwas envisioned to recapture—itsstature as a cultural hub for the TwinCities and university community,” hesays. “Programming started withaddressing the university’s needs,which include lectures—Martin LutherKing, Jr. and Dali Lama historically,plus Bill Clinton and Condoleezza Rice

recently—in addition to concerts bythe Minnesota Orchestra and otherperforming arts. All these needs wereprovided for, as well as enabling the2,700-seat theatre to be used as atouring house.”

Initial theatre planning and theatricalsystems design was by Arup’s DavidTaylor and Jim Niesel along withCushner, with technical lighting anddetailed theatrical systems designbeing directed by Robert Young.Architectural lighting design was over-seen by Jake Wayne and Toby Lewis.Kurt Graffy worked on performancesound, video, and communications

The onstage orchestra shell comprises 10 self-supporting sidewall tower assemblies.


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systems, while senior acousticianFiona Gillan led Arup’s technicalacoustic analysis.

Programming the newspacesThe firm’s first thoughts while pro-gramming the main theatre, in terms ofoverall facility planning and design,was to ensure that it could “accommo-date and preserve the qualities thatdecades of theatregoers know andlove about the facility,” Young says.“Care and coordination allowed forseamless integration of technical sys-tems with historical and contemporaryarchitectural elements.”

“We reviewed comparable facilitiesin the Twin Cities area, technical ridersfor major touring groups, and tech rid-ers for the groups that had been iden-tified as target users for the newspace,” states Cushner. “Northrop wasgoing to fit a niche as the largest road-house in the area, but which alsooffered an intimate experience withnatural acoustics. The original venuehad many technical limitations—it wasan acoustic barn—with no rear stageand no crossover; we decided early toremedy all these deficiencies.”

In terms of the Best Buy Theater,Graffy says, “Despite making the mainhall 50% smaller in size, there was notenough leftover space to provide aproper recital hall. We studied a fewdifferent locations and decided toplace it under the rake of the upperbalcony, occupying space that used tobe within the back of the old hall.Using an E-Coustics active architec-ture system, we were able to tightenup the theatre’s dimensions and natu-ral acoustics to work great for filmplayback and lectures; this room is sosuccessful that they now programmore events than there are days in theyear!”

To predict the main auditorium’sacoustic performance throughout aniterative design process, Arup utilizedauralization techniques and SoundLabAmbisonics listening rooms in New

There are front-of-house followspot booths above and integrated into the coffered ceiling.

The lobby area.

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York and San Francisco to evaluatealternate room-design options. “TheArup SoundLab was used from theoutset to establish the sweet spot thatthe new Northrop Auditorium would tryto occupy,” Cushner explains. “Overthe years, we have used measurementand modeling to maintain a library ofspaces for music around the world.Using the auralization process, we cancreate renderings of each hall, therebyallowing listeners to virtually take anensemble piece of music with themfrom hall to hall.”

The Carlson Family Stage’s 2,700seats are, arranged across 760 in theorchestra: 414 in the orchestra circle;403 in the president’s circle; 473 in thescholar’s circle; and 650 in the uppergallery circle. With 150 seats removed

from the lower level, the orchestra pitaccommodates up to 90 musicians, or50 musicians with a loss of 79 seatsand a small/lift wagon; the in-audiencefront-of-house mix eliminates an addi-tional 40 seats.

Lighting for the CarlsonFamily StageWorking with Gopher Stage Lighting,Egan Companies served as primaryelectrical subcontractor, with ElliotContracting as installer. “We furnishedthe equipment and commissioned,programmed, and demonstrated thesystem as field service technicians forETC,” explains Gopher’s Jim Barrett.

A 4,000-channel ETC Eos Ti consolewas specified, plus 12 ETC Net3 two-port gateways. Lighting dimmers com-

prise a total of five-hundred-six 2.4KETC Sensors and sixteen 6.0K ETCSensors; forty-eight 120V and forty-eight 208V non-dimmers also wereinstalled. Lighting instruments comprise322 ETC Source Fours in various mod-els and degree sizes, 12 PhilipsSelecon Aurora cyc lights, 12 groundrows, forty-two 8" Selecon Fresnelsand four Lycian 3K followspots.(Additional Source Four barrels also areavailable upon request.)

“Given Northrop’s busy productionschedule, we chose to specify ETClighting equipment for its robust andreliable design as well as ETC’s com-mitment to service,” Young says.

The front-of-house lighting posi-tions were “carefully and seamlesslyintegrated into the architecture and thehistoric elements,” Young says.“Downlights for the large orchestrasetup and proscenium booms are inte-grated into the historic prosceniumarch, with underside box rails—repli-cating box-boom functionality—inte-grated into the side seating boxes. Wealso specified demountable tech boxrails for replicating box-boom function-ality, with traditional balcony rails andthree FOH catwalks above and inte-grated into the coffered ceiling, plusFOH followspot booths above andintegrated into the coffered ceiling.

“To achieve this level of coordina-tion and integration,” Young adds, “weimported the working 3-D model intoWYSIWYG [lighting design and previ-sualization software] and ‘hung’ a vari-ety of virtual light plots to ensure rangeof focus, proper lighting angles, andcoverage, and to confirm there wereno conflicts with the architecture.”

Sound for the CarlsonFamily StageA left-center-right line array systemcomprises 18 JBL Professional VerTecVT4888 cabinets (nine flown per side)and 10 center-hung JBL ProfessionalVerTec VT4886 cabinets for the center,together with six ground-stacked JBLProfessional VerTec VT4880 dual 18"subwoofers (three per side). FifteenVT4886 cabinets mounted above themain array cover the upper balconies,

A house-left acouStac banner in slanted case.

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with five covering the left-hand side ofthe seating area, five for the center,and five for the right. FourteenRenkus-Heinz TRX61 cabinets handlemain-floor front fill: seven located atthe stage lip and seven at the pit lip.Underbalcony coverage is provided by29 Tannoy CMS601DC speakers. The

university provided additional loud-speakers for effects and active stagemonitors, comprising four JBLProfessional PRX715, eight Electro-Voice SXA250, and eight Meyer UPA-1P cabinets.

A number of line-array systemswere considered for the project. “Of

course, sonic performance and rideracceptance were key aspects,” Graffyexplains, “but physical size was also afactor, since there were architecturalconstraints due to the historic archi-tecture at the proscenium. In the end,the JBL VerTec system fitted the bill onall accounts.”

A rehearsal room.

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Powering the various cabinets are,from Crown, nine IT12000HD, 11IT9000HD, and four CTS1200 ampli-fiers, connected via BSS SoundwebLondon BLU-160 and BLU-120 unitscontrolled via HiQnet LondonArchitect software. A DiGiCo SD9audio console handles front-of-housemixing from one of two locations: thecontrol booth located at the rear ofthe hall or an in-the-house audiocockpit located 68' from the stage. AllAV hardware was supplied andinstalled by Milwaukee-based

Professional Audio Designs, withvice-president Scott Leonard handlingon-site liaison and final tuning; ScottPuro was project manager.

Arup designed and specified a fullcounterweight rigging system, motor-ized linesets, and chain-motor riggingsystem, with components supplied byJ. R. Clancy. “The motorized linesetsare for the large tip-and-fly orchestraenclosure ceiling panels,” Youngsays. “The chain motor system is pri-marily to support the touring produc-tions, to provide forestage rigging,

and to increase overall rigging abilityand flexibility of the venue.”

According to J. R. Clancy’s projectmanager Bridget E. Cox: “We sup-plied 60 single-purchase counter-weight linesets, with a J-Guide sys-tem and truss battens, together withthree PowerAssist counterweightassisted hoists, a large dual-panelsteel frame fire curtain with ahydraulically dampened head block,two side-stage light ladder systemsand three front-of-house manuallyoperated speaker positions with trol-leys to assist in maintenance access.”Twenty-two 1-ton chain motors andfour 1/8-ton chain motors were speci-fied, with a stand-alone control sys-tem. Paul Zagajeski served as thecompany’s lead engineer.

Variable acoustics andorchestra shell forCarlson Family StageTo accommodate a variety of per-formance types, a variable-acousticssystem was specified for the maintheatre in addition to a fixed orchestrashell for the stage area. “The mainauditorium includes a sidewallacoustic banner system that morphsthe room from a large orchestralmode to a spoken-word/amplifiedmode,” Cushner says. “A grandorchestra shell also is provided,which can accommodate a fullorchestra and chorus, with side tow-ers that reach up to the underside ofthe 43'-tall proscenium arch.”

Designed and manufactured byacouStaCorp, the variable-acousticsystem utilizes various acouStac ban-ners and control panels. “We provid-ed technical assistance in the form ofbudget information and details aboutour products, as they might impactthe design,” says Irene Byrne Ohl, thefirm’s marketing manager. SECOAUSA subsequently won the project,with banners and control systemsbuilt in acouStaCorp’s Bronx factoryfor subsequent installation.

“There are 16 acouStac 3W11 vari-able-acoustic banners made with100% DFR wool ranging from 11'—to 25' tall,” Ohl continues. “These

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motorized banners are retracted anddeployed using our acouTrolSymphony control system to modifythe reverberation time. To allow forsimple, accurate position control, 16presets were provided for eachmachine, as well as multiple groupingoptions.” The custom-made bannerswere dyed a pale grey for the project.

The onstage orchestra shell com-prises “10 self-supporting sidewalltower assemblies,” says CK Wegnerproject manager Randy Pawlicki, “plusthree rows of triple-radiused ceilingpanels and 26 ceiling ensemble reflec-tor panels. The tower and ceiling pan-els are of laminated construction, with1.5"-thick paper-honeycomb coreencapsulated on each side with 3/16"standard hardboard. The face surfacesare painted with a white satin latexpaint. The ensemble reflectors are ofmolded-fiberglass construction hungwith cables below the acoustic ceilingpanels. The structures that support thesidewall towers and ceiling rows are ofsteel-tube construction.”

The sidewall towers are 12' 4"wide and comprise three vertical rowsof acoustic panels, each with a 5'radius. Due to the height of theproscenium opening, the two mostdownstage towers on each side ofthe stage are 43' 6" and 37' 7" tall,and of two-part construction. In orderto store these four towers, the uppersection of each is lifted off with thehelp of a chain hoist and placed ontoa storage base similar in constructionto the other tower bases.

The enclosure can be arranged inthree different configurations. “Thefull orchestra configuration utilizes allcomponents and creates a perform-ance area approximately 60' wide atthe opening and 35' deep,” Pawlickistates. “The medium configuration iscomprised of eight towers and tworows of ceilings, with a performancefootprint of 60' wide at the openingand 24' deep. The small configurationis comprised of seven towers and asingle row of ceilings, with a perform-ance footprint of 60' at the openingand 12' deep.”

Active architecture sys-tem for Best Buy Theater“During design, it became apparentthat an active architecture systemwould be the best approach to sup-port the wide range of programs forthe theatre,” Graffy explains. “The uni-versity staff was skeptical at first, but,after touring a number of venues withactive architecture systems, they wereconvinced of the viability of thisapproach. The E-Coustic system alsomet the acoustical performancerequirements since, once again, it

could fit into a very constrained physi-cal space. The system is used for cre-ating acoustic presets that respond todifferent ensemble sizes/genres, forcinema surround, and as a multi-chan-nel system for electronic music com-position.” Currently, five presets pro-vide cinema; treated room (for lectureswith voice-lift); small recital chamber(for solos, duets and quartets with lightreverb); large recital chamber (for largeensembles with stronger reverb); andcathedral (highly reverberant).

The enhancement system compris-

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es an E-Coustic Systems MP-4Dprocessor and a Matrix Processor 2for digital signal distribution via three128-channel ECS-MADI cards, a 32-channel ECS-AO-32 analog distribu-tion, a 16-channel ECS-AI-16 analoginput, and two ECS-AT321 analog out-put cards. Playback is via seven E-Coustic ECS-25P-3 amplifiers, fourLARES Model 08 ceiling loudspeakers,and 16 LARES 440C small-formatloudspeakers. Sound pickup is viaSchoeps CCM-4 microphones.

Conventional audio playback is viathree/LCR Renkus Heinz PN121/9active loudspeakers located behind aperforated projection screen, twoRenkus-Heinz CF18S-5 subwoofers inrear wall of stage, and surround loud-speakers located in sidewalls. TwoJBL Professional JRX112M monitorwedges, powered by a QSC CX302amplifier, and Mackie HR624MK2 con-trol-room monitors also are available.Mixing is via a Yamaha LS9-32 digitalconsole. Lighting comprises overhead,

side, and front instruments. Left andright booms, plus one front-of-houseand two over-stage lighting pipes areavailable, with distributed 20A dimmed120V circuits and control over Ethernetvia ETC Net3 distributed throughoutthe venue via portable DMX nodes.Control is via an ETC Element console.

“Feedback from visiting artists,audiences, and the critical communityhas been overwhelmingly positive,”Cushner reports. “The old hall wasmuch beloved, even though it wasknown to be deficient in many ways;this project created a total transforma-tion. Performer and technical accom-modations are on a par with the bestvenues in the US, the natural acousticsof the room are great for a largeorchestra or amplified music, and theentire building has become completelyactivated by the university community.During its first year of operation, morethan 2,000 events were hosted in thebuilding. Rather than Band-Aidapproaches to mitigate shortcomings,

the Northrop was re-imagined and re-invented to sustain the arts as well asserve as a new venue, while maintain-ing the integrity of a cultural asset.”

“The project has been deemed ahuge success,” Denny considers.“Architecturally, we needed to find away of transforming Northrop for thenext century while still being respectfulof its historic past. To date, we havereceived numerous industry awardsand countless media attentionapplauding its design andacoustics.”

Mel Lambert has been intimatelyinvolved with production industries onboth sides of the Atlantic for moreyears than he cares to remember. Heis principal of Content Creators, a LosAngeles-based copywriting and edito-rial service, and can be reached [email protected];818.558-3924. He is also a 30-yearmember of the UK’s National Union ofJournalists.

National SawdustWilliamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

©Foto+Warner

Buildings that performArup collaborates with designers and clients to create inspiring spaces for artists and audiences, seamlessly integrating beautiful acoustics, lighting, performance technology, and building engineering.We deliver design excellence with unsurpassed creativity and passion.

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a reimagined northrop auditorium...technical focus: renovation performance venues that were designed...

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