Geometry and Atmosphere: Theatre Buildings from Vision to Reality

Building for the Arts presents huge opportunities for architecture to contribute to the creative capacity of an Arts organisation, or indeed, to hasten its failure. In recent years, more than a billion pounds of public funding has been spent by the Arts Council of England Lottery Fund on new and refurbished performing arts buildings. Many of these have had high visual impact and iconic architecture, yet, in several of these the procurement, design and delivery have been problematic. Out of 15 arts projects reviewed by the National Audit Office, 12 were over-budget and 7 were late. The process of constructing for an 'artistic vision' appears to be protracted, stressful and confusing for arts organisations, as are the strict requirements of meeting exact technical demands set against the conflicting needs of clients, users, audience and other stakeholders.Drawing on detailed design, construction and financial histories of six prominent performing arts buildings with budgets ranging from £3.4 million to over £100 million, this book presents unique and valuable insights into the complex process of building for the arts. Each theatre project, from tailor-made spaces for avant-garde companies to iconic and innovative receiving houses yields surprising and counter-intuative findings. For each of the six projects, the authors have interviewed all those involved. Combining these interviews with exhaustive archival research. the authors then provide cross-case analysis which is then distilled into practical guidance for all stakeholders in new arts projects who hope to transform their vision into reality. In particular, the book challenges the technical focus of existing design guides for the Performing Arts by suggesting that current practice in briefing and design does not serve the Arts community especially well. It shows that there is a need for a more flexible approach that places artistic requirements first.

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