The Alliance Theater in Atlanta is housed in the Woodruff Arts Center complex (1968) and has now been truly remodeled for the first time. The auditorium, backstage and technical rooms, as well as the lobby have been completely renovated. The architectural solution was developed by the New Orleans bureau Trahan Architects. The most memorable part of the project was the design of the auditorium - it was as if it was wrapped in an openwork wooden blanket. The budget was $ 23.5 million.
The Alliance Theater is the largest theater in the southeastern United States. In 2007, its importance was recognized at the national level: the team received the prestigious award “
Tony as the best regional theater.
After the transformation under the leadership of Trahan Architects, the number of seats for spectators was reduced from 770 to 650. This was dictated by the terms of reference: the Woodruff Arts Center, of which the Alliance is a part, wanted to create a chamber, democratic space, where there is no clear hierarchy, where the audience is equalized between themselves and at the same time as close as possible to the performers. Therein lies the desire to restore historical justice: in the state of Georgia, as in the whole of the South of the United States, racial segregation (and, moreover, discrimination) was very common. Before the Civil Rights Act came into force in 1964, theater seats were clearly delineated: "colored" spectators had to watch the performance from an uncomfortable upper balcony, and the stalls went to white.
The authors of the project admit that they felt responsible for eliminating "architectural discrimination" in the hall. They largely succeeded in blurring the visible differences between the viewing areas and tiers with the help of continuous light lines of wooden structures, as well as due to the smooth cascade of balconies.
Now the hall looks like a single space, the audience is approximately in equal conditions, and all zones are at an equal distance from the exits. You can move between the tiers without leaving the hall, using two internal staircases. The architects reduced the physical distance between the stage and the audience by moving the stalls forward by 4.5 meters. There are places for wheelchair users on several levels, including on the “patch” in the center of the hall.
Sheathing with bent timber structures was an experiment in which the authors had to combine traditional crafts and the latest technology. Designer
Matthias Plissnig specializes in steam-bent wood furniture - his creations formed the basis of the project - but he never worked on architectural tasks. The scale of the project required the use of 3D projection and modeling to ensure precision manufacturing, and 3D scan data was used for proper installation. For these tasks, they invited the company FARO, which develops control and measuring machines. Before installing the original parts, the team made a series of life-size mockups to get an idea of how the wooden parts would behave in the room.
The structures were manufactured by CW Keller. As a material, they used a radially sawn solid white oak, and only dead wood was used. The top of the tree was covered with a coloring pigment to make the tree beautifully aged, and a fire-resistant compound.
Trahan Architects have created an acoustic environment that is equally suitable for drama performances and musicals. Wooden fragments helped to precisely "tune" the sound in the room: depending on the parameters of the slats and their location, the sound is either absorbed or reflected. The architects took advantage of this in the design.
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zooming 1/3 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 2/3 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 3/3 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
The premises for artists and staff have also been renovated. New dressing rooms have appeared, the sewing workshop has moved from the first floor to the fourth - now dressers can work in natural light. Lighting designers gained easy access to overhead installations - previously they had to climb to the ceiling on a mounting cradle. In the back of the theater, behind the director's console, the architects have arranged a corner that can be used as a VIP room, a “buffer zone” for latecomers or a meeting room for producers. You can also take the child there to calm down if he suddenly bursts into tears during the performance.
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zooming 1/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 2/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 3/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 4/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 5/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 6/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 7/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 8/8 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 1/4 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 2/4 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 3/4 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 4/4 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Production Photo courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 1/5 Renovation of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Image Courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 2/5 Reconstruction of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Image Courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 3/5 Renovation of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Image Courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 4/5 Renovation of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Image Courtesy of Trahan Architects
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zooming 5/5 Renovation of the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Image Courtesy of Trahan Architects
