ROY THOMSON HALL TRANSFORMATION + MASTER PLAN

’ACOUSTICA FANTASTICA’

Cecilia Bartoli’s words for the revaluing and re-honouring of Toronto’s principal concert hall.

ON TIME, ON BUDGET: NOT A PENNY MORE

The commission began with the stipulation that on-site construction would be limited to 20 weeks (dark time) with (pre- and pre-pre- dark) periods dedicated to offsite fabrication beginning well before. The project was to cost $20 million and no more.

REHONOUR/REVALUE

The project ethos was to respect and revalue Arthur Erickson’s concrete architecture, while fearlessly making the required acoustical changes in a manner that would be easily implemented as a multi-stage prefabricated procedure.

CASE AND INSTRUMENT

The transformation project is conceptualized as the ‘instrument’ for the new sound, and the existing elegant concrete frame as the ‘case.’

NEW INSTRUMENT FOR SOUND

Maple, steel and onyx are combined to create the surfaces of the new instrument. The orchestra seating is recalibrated by adding aisles, boxes and parterres. Acoustical bulkheads at the perimeter reshape the upper acoustical volume of the room, and a new movable sound canopy with integrated performance lighting and acoustical cluster enable the room acoustics to be tuned. The stage platform is reengineered to be more flexible.