Technical Overview

Roof color is metallic Champagne Gold in order to relate to surrounding neighborhood vegetation, and predominant colors of the Menlo-Atherton High School campus.
The roofscape is designed to descend towards the low profile of the M-A administration building, and to provide a “pedestrian scale” at the entryway to the campus, which is defined by a specially designed “alumni wall”.
The low roof extending over the multi-purpose room shelters a patio designed primarily for student use during lunch breaks and after school, but can also be used for conferences and meetings.
The sliding doors surrounding the multi-purpose room can be fully retracted to create an “indoor-outdoor” space for PTA meetings, pot luck dinners, and conferences.
The step-ramp extending down to the Graduate Courtyard from the mezzanine level of the lobby is designed for between-acts intermissions and to allow audiences to descend to the Green Room after a performance to congratulate performers.
The sloped and angled glass at the lobby is designed to function as a band shell to enhance outdoor musical performances for audiences seated in the lowered courtyard, which can also function as a location for apre’-theater events and ceremonies.
The structural columns at the lobby and at the multi-purpose room take their form from the heritage oaks which are a dominant feature of the neighborhood.

The steel frame which supports the roof structure was fabricated by use of advanced computer modeling called BIM, which was used to determine the exact length and angle of each steel member and download that information directly to computer-controlled fabrication machinery. The resulting steel components were then assembled by bolting and welding to form the building’s armature
Enclosing walls around the auditorium are constructed of structural concrete block to provide maximum acoustic insulation against outside noise as well as to resist seismic forces.
Structural sheathing beneath the roof and side walls is a composite wood waste product known as strand board.
Roofing consists of a baked-on polymer finish on a standing seam steel surface.

A professional caliber fly tower measuring approximately 100 feet wide by 50 feet deep by 65 feet high is equipped with 36 counter-weighted manila line-sets, which are manually operated to raise and lower scenery. This choice was made in consultation with the theater faculty and other professionals to emulate the technical devices used in Broadway-style theaters.
An orchestra lift is available to convert the stage for opera or musical stage productions, or to extend the audience seating area.
The stage and the forestage area have been designed to accommodate a full symphony orchestra or an 80 piece band.
The proscenium opening is 50 feet wide by 29 feet high with a removable portal opening which will reduce the proscenium dimension to 36 feet wide by 26 feet high for dramatic performances.
General lighting for the audience is supplied by backlit acoustic screens which have been laser-cut with a graphic interpretation of the actual historic oaks which were found on the campus. This light can be dimmed from the control booth.
The color of the backlit acoustic screens can be modified by dimming the fluorescent fixtures and creating a selected color by means of a gel on a theatrical fixture.
A sound-proof professional control booth is located at the rear of the audience.
A soundproof professional caliber follow spot position is accessible by a stair adjacent to the north lobby stairs.
Two catwalks with fully circuited lighting control systems allow for dramatic lighting design.

A low-velocity air handling system is employed which introduces cooling air through floor-mounted registers. This type of system requires the construction of a secondary “basement” space beneath the audience seating itself, but is virtually silent, allowing the audience to hear and appreciate an extreme dynamic musical range from the performer.
The design of the audience chamber consists of multiple angles and beveled surfaces which tend to diffuse and distribute the sound waves in a disperse manner, which obviates the tendency for disturbing reverberations. This design is echoed by the external form of the roof over the audience.
Acoustically absorbent curtains are housed in the acoustically transparent volumes to either side, above, and behind the audience, which can be adjusted to “tune” the auditorium for dramatic presentations or different types of musical performances.
Special construction consisting of multiple layers of plaster, cavity walls, and isolation of potential sources of vibration or noise has been employed to ensure professional quality acoustical performance.

Deep roof overhangs shelter the glass areas at the lobby and multi-purpose room in order to minimize heat gain from the sun, yet admit generous amounts of natural light.
A large clerestory over the rehearsal room provides natural lighting with minimal heat gain.
High-efficiency metal halide luminaires are utilized in the major spaces to provide diffuse overall lighting.
Highly efficient air handling units with variable speed direct drive fans are able to respond incrementally to demand. Computerized control systems enable the system to preheat or cool the lobby and theater to conserve energy.
The air displacement system utilized in the theater will maintain comfortable temperature levels for occupants yet saves energy by introducing conditioned air beneath individual seats, thus eliminating the energy loss. Interior temperatures are set to a fixed point relative to outdoor temperature, rather than to absolute point, which saves both energy and first equipment cost.
Multiple layers of insulation due to a combination of acoustic requirements and the building envelope provide a significant barrier to outside temperature variations.
Occupancy sensor switches automatically turn lights off if spaces are unoccupied.

Sealed concrete floors are used for 96% of the project which require less maintenance, and use no unsustainable flooring materials.
The standing seam metal roof is highly reflective and consists of sustainable cold rolled steel coil with a baked-on flourocarbon color coat.
Decorative trim in the lobby and within the theater is fabricated from industrial grade particle board, which is manufactured from recycled wood waste products. Application of the finish was under controlled conditions in the fabrication shop, and it is attached with wood screws rather than adhesives.
A pre-finished, wood-fibre based, sustainable material known as Tectum is used throughout the project for acoustic absorption.
Recyclable aluminum window mullions are used throughout.