Theater Hanzehof & Buitensociëteit – Zutphen

Between 2003 and 2015, the theatre and concert hall was completely renovated and expanded. A new auditorium was built within the existing structures of the building, a basement was added under the stage and a new stage tower was added. Special attention was paid to isolating noise from and to the surrounding area. During the final phase, the concert hall acoustics facilities were renewed.

As in many concert halls, the use of the hall has expanded greatly over time. Today, the hall must be suitable for a wide range of performances with individually different acoustic requirements: from the original classical symphonic music and chamber music to rock concerts, theatre performances and presentations. To meet this acoustic versatility, electroacoustic facilities have been installed in the hall.

Halls:
Concert Hall, 700 seats or 1,050 standing
Theatre Hall, 555 seats

Our recommendation

• Improving the diffusion of high frequencies from the walls of the auditorium and stage walls.
• Automatically retractable panels (motorised curtains) for the side and rear walls of the auditorium to reduce 2 seconds of reverberation time to 1.5 seconds for amplified sound (speech and music). Thus, the acoustics can be adjusted completely automatically. Special attention was paid to the aesthetic application of the roller panels for the walls.
• All opinions were tested with acoustic measurements.

Result
Extensive acoustic and electroacoustic measurements were performed beforehand to properly record the existing outstanding acoustic properties. Based on these, modifications were designed to make the hall multifunctional while maintaining the existing good acoustics. The following goals were achieved:

• The excellent acoustics for classical/unamplified music have not been worsened by modifications for multipurpose use.
• The interior is under Monument Conservation protection and the architectural quality and appearance has not deteriorated with the installation of electroacoustic features.
• Variable acoustics facilities are easy/quick to operate by a small group of employees.