The Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey was founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1963 to provide the ideal conditions in which musically gifted children might develop their potential to the full on stringed instruments and piano. The school now has a superb new 315 seat concert hall designed by architects Burrell Foley Fischer. Construction work started in 2004 and the Yehudi Menuhin Hall is due to be opened early in 2006.
Unusual Rigging were commissioned to suspend 8 chandeliers over the auditorium. The chandeliers are of a more contemporary design with audience, stage, emergency and working light installed on a unit, which exudes an essence of the NASA lunar landing crafts. These chandeliers have to be lowered and raised for focussing and maintenance. The installation is divided into four bays, each containing two chandeliers, controlled by one motor driving two four line drums.
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Unsurprisingly, much attention is focussed on the acoustics of the concert hall. The finish is immaculate with a birch-panelled roof, maple auditorium features and an oak floor. The motors and drums are discreetly hidden in specifically designed voids. The installation of wires and pulley systems suspending the chandeliers is part of the design feature of the gabled auditorium roof, which is an integral contributor to the excellent acoustics. The overall feel of the concert hall is that it is successful marriage of ambition, expertise and materials to create a venue, which will offer a sensational experience for performers and audiences alike.
The necessary focus on designing a concert hall of this nature has produced many challenges. The design of a beautiful birch roof with a tasteful lighting scheme necessarily precludes a collection of monstrous catwalks for roof level maintenance. Unusual look forward to an ongoing relationship with The Yehudi Menuhin School in the provision of the required access solutions.
Links:
The Yehudi Menuhin School: www.yehudimenuhinschool.co.uk
Architects Burrell Foley Fischer:www.bff-architects.co.uk
