State Theatre Centre
Hailed as an iconic landmark for the city of Perth, the State Theatre Centre in Northbridge is the home of the Perth Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company. The centre brings together multiple performance venues within a compact urban site to support a broad range of theatrical and live performances.
The facility includes the Heath Ledger Theatre, a 575-seat proscenium arch theatre featuring sprung timber floor, orchestra pit lift, and power flying system. Studio Underground complements the main theatre as a 234-seat flexible black-box studio, with a flat floor, retractable seating and tension wire grid system. The centre also incorporates foyers, bars, rehearsal rooms, and an outdoor performance space known as The Courtyard.
CLIENT
Kerry Hill Architects
LOCATION
Perth, WA
COMPLETED
2011
Our scope
Marshall Day Acoustics was responsible for the acoustic design, including sound insulation solutions throughout the building, and ensuring high quality room acoustics within each performance venue.
Challenges
The project site has a small footprint, with the principal performance spaces located above one another. Achieving acoustic separation between venues required the design of fully vibration-isolated steel structures for each theatre, contained within concrete enclosures.
Additional challenges included achieving high sound insulation from the external environment, particularly noise and vibration from the adjacent railway line, while maintaining appropriate acoustic conditions for a wide range of performance types.
Awards
2011 Australian Institute of Architects WA Architecture Awards - Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture
2011 Australian Institute of Architects WA Architecture Awards - Julius Elischer Award for Interior Architecture
2011 Australian Institute of Architects WA Architecture Awards - Mondoluce Lighting Award Commendation
“The State Theatre is incredible, it is possibly the perfect concert jazz venue ... not too small, not too big. All wood, so the sound is very warm, but very balanced all throughout the venue.”
PROJECT TEAM
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