Gateshead Council is extraordinarily keen for the arts to be inclusive, encouraging as many people as possible to be involved. The purpose behind The Sage is to mix education and inspiration, combining state-of-the-art facilities for hands-on learning and performance spaces.
Beneath the metal and glass outer shell there are six separate buildings, which contain four main performance venues, a 26-room music education centre, ExploreMusic (a high-tech hands-on education facility run by Gateshead Libraries), a shop/box office, five front of house bars, a café and brasserie.
Interestingly, the six buildings are physically separated from each another to prevent noise transfer, but audio spill is encouraged between the music education centre (situated on the lower level) and the main concourse. There are also several areas in the concourse with concealed patch points, allowing them to be transformed into extra performance spaces. The comprehensive audio, video and communications infrastructure uses over 50km of cable, supplied by Canford Audio.
Of the four primary performance spaces, Halls One and Two are the highest-spec'd. Design was by a combination of Arup Acoustics and Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC), working in conjunction with overall architects Foster and Partners. TPC's involvement with the project stretches back over seven years. Alan Russell, a director of TPC, was responsible for the technical design, while Iain Mackintosh was responsible for theatre planning and auditorium design and Mark Stroomer, the company's design director, was responsible for the concepts for Hall One.
Hall One is the biggest, a 1700-capacity space which features six 14-ton movable ceiling panels, allowing room height variation between 10m and 21m. These are controlled by Stage Technologies automation technology, via two Nomad control desks and several Solo control consoles. In addition, the control system provides automation for five lighting trusses, four point hoists and the control of 16 ChainMaster chain hoists. Curved timber surfaces abound to maximize sound diffusion, while motorized curtains can also be deployed to cover 85% of the wall area.
Specialist manufacturer J&C Joel produced 6.5 tons of these retractable acoustic curtains, made from a special wool serge, which are used in all performance and rehearsal spaces throughout the site. In Hall One, the challenge for TPC was to find a way of storing them, in the minimum amount of space, behind the auditorium walls and so isolating their acoustic properties when not required. The solution was found with the Triple E Chaintrack system, which enables curtains to go around corners of just 40mm radius. Working with Arup Acoustics, together with Triple E and stage engineering contractor Street CraneXpress, they demanded that Triple E carry out simulated tests of the system, to ensure it could promise a working life of 20 years plus!
Audio equipment was sourced from several providers including Northern Light, Stage Electrics and LMC Audio. For classical music and speech applications, two AXYS Intellivox-2c loudspeakers from Duran Audio are positioned at front-of-house, with 58 recessed KEF Ci200QT infills providing sound reinforcement around the rest of the hall.
However, one of the ceiling reflectors has bomb bay doors which open so that the AXYS Target Series PA system, manufactured by Duran Audio, to be deployed. The system is quiet unique as the vertical directivity can be electronically manipulated using Digital Directivity Synthesis technology. This features left and right hangs of five AXYS Target U16s per side and a centre hang comprising 10 AXYS Target U
