Rebecca Maloney
Americas Press Office ,Boston
Our acoustics, audiovisual, and theatre design service consultants transformed this historic icon into one of the world’s foremost theatre venues.
Selected by the University of Minnesota to partner with Hamel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA) to deliver this landmark project, Arup’s integrated acoustics, audiovisual, theatre, and lighting design team were instrumental in the reinvention of the newly completed $88.5M Northrop Memorial Auditorium. The original 4,700 seat hall was transformed to a 2,700-seat tiered theatre and 168-seat venue, and the historic building envelope now houses new pre-function, rehearsal, and academic spaces. This is the largest performing arts project in the US for Arup’s integrated venue design team.
Originally opened in 1929 and known throughout the following decades as the “Carnegie of the Midwest”, Northrop was in disrepair as the project began and the university was in danger of losing an important historic landmark. Arup approached the project by envisioning Northrop’s role in supporting the sustainability of the arts for future generations of Minnesotans, while also preserving the hall’s historic identity.
“Creating harmony for the entire room between the visual and the aural was only possible by detailed attention and analysis to every part of the ceiling, walls, balcony, sightlines, and seating rake.
Joshua Cushner, associate principal, Arup.
Arup’s theatre design completely transformed the main auditorium, creating an intimate audience and performer experience supported by outstanding acoustics and audio system quality. Through an iterative process, the project team conducted benchmark listening auditions in the proprietary Arup SoundLab® to validate the room shape, form, finishes and the resulting acoustic qualities from each seat.