Geometry and Atmosphere

Drawing on detailed design, construction and financial histories of six prominent performing arts buildings with budgets ranging from GBP 3.4 million to over GBP 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-intuitive 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. As well as being of interest to architects, urban designers and those involved in theatre studies, this book will be useful to other sectors where public money is spent on major building projects.