Design details will make a huge difference with audiences

Date: November 20, 2006

Author: Kauffman Center

Even in a 284,000 square-foot performing arts center, some small things can make a huge difference.

Take, for example, the orchestra seating in the concert hall. The Kansas City Symphony will sit in a circular pattern that gives musicians a unique physical proximity. Hydraulics will adjust risers to various heights, but a little secret lies within the material they are made from.  Alaskan cedar will be used because of its ability to transmit the sound vibrations from the cellos when their points touch the floor. 

“Our acoustician Yasu Toyota tells us that musicians play better when they hear the others playing around them,” architect Isaac Franco with Safdie and Associates explains.  “He also knows that performers hear themselves play through the floor.  Alaskan cedar has been selected because of its ability to transmit sound.” Symphony members currently have difficulty hearing each other play in Kansas City’s performance halls—even though they’re sitting side-by-side.

“Our musicians have a challenge in that regard,” according to Frank Byrne, executive director of the Kansas City Symphony. “They can’t look at the music and the conductor simultaneously. As they approach musical entrances, for example, the ability to hear others around them becomes vital. They also benefit from knowing how their sound fits into the overall texture.”

The airy spaciousness of the Kauffman Center’s atrium lobby captures everyone’s attention in photos. But most everyone asks how in the world it will be heated and cooled—especially during Kansas City’s weather extremes.

Another small secret is hidden in the floor—a radiant heating and cooling system. Hot water and chilled water (in the appropriate season) are sent through tubes embedded in the slab floor.  “Basically,” Isaac Franco elaborates, “We heat (or cool) the 8-10 feet around the people in the lobby.  As the air reaches the space 100 feet up it is pulled back into the system, re-circulated and reheated (or cooled off) by the floors and the people enjoying the center.”  It’s very efficient—and cool (or warm, depending on the need).

For more details on Kauffman Center design details, check out these articles:

Separate interviews with architect Moshe Safdie, acoustician Yasu Toyota and theater designer Richard Pilbrow. 

Two other articles discuss the pipe organ and acoustical testing for the concert hall.