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Silestone® N-Boost revolutionises quartz surfaces

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Silestone® N-Boost in iconic white

Silestone® N-Boost in iconic white

Cosentino has revolutionised the field of quartz surfaces once again with the innovative new technological development known as Silestone® N-Boost. The company has been continuously expanding the Silestone® range since its first launch in 1990. The 2017 launch of Silestone® N-Boost is a testament to Cosentino’s continuous innovation.

N-Boost modifies the surface of the material at a molecular level, further enhancing its technical performance and aesthetic properties while making the cleaning and maintenance of Silestone® easier than ever before. N-Boost also achieves a greater intensity of colour and a more intense surface brightness. The improvements which N-Boost offers does not affect the other mechanical properties of the material: high resistance to impact and scratching, manufacture in large size and customised formats, and adaptability to the most wide ranging demands of design and interior architecture.

With the arrival of N-Boost, Cosentino has positioned itself at the forefront of a new era for quartz surfaces.

Two new colours; Iconic Black and Iconic White, created with Silestone® N-Boost, were officially launched in Singapore on 10th March 2017.

The Iconic Black boasts a new and intense shade of black that expresses elegance and adds distinction to any indoor space. Its beauty makes it the ideal choice for ambiances that desire for an emphasis on precision and personality. Thanks to its very sophisticated aesthetics and functionality, Iconic Black is synonymous with purity and excellence – with its deep, intensely black finish, the exquisiteness of its polished texture and its incomparable mechanical properties.

Iconic Black’s beautiful and attractive appearance makes it the most elegant shade in the Silestone® range, offering a wide array of design possibilities that can be a world where quality and beauty go hand in hand.

The other colour – Iconic White is the purest, lightest and brightest white currently available in the world of quartz surfaces. Going even further than the legendary Blanco Zeus by Silestone®, the best selling colour in the brand’s history, the arrival of Iconic White ushers a true revolution.

Iconic White has been created to provide greater luminosity and clarity to the most demanding spaces. The perfect combination of hygiene, purity and amplitude is possible with Iconic White, which also brings personality and differentiation to any private or public project where it is used.

Valentín Tijeras, Product and Innovation Director of Cosentino: “With Silestone® N-Boost we once again take a competitive lead in the market. To achieve the similar results, other manufacturers apply a sealant layer to the surface of the material, at the expense of wear and tear overtime. Stains would also eventually appear. The molecular fusion that we have obtained with Silestone® N-boost lasts forever. The spectacular brightness and intensity of colour we have achieved with this treatment process is without doubt yet another differentiating factor that continues to position us in the vanguard in terms of innovation in the quartz surface sector.”

N-Boost will also be launched in the Silestone® Eternal Collection later this year. During the course of the year this innovative treatment process will be progressively included in all of the brand’s colours, and be available in the complete range of thicknesses for the selected colours.

Arup Joins Team for Jurong Lake District Singapore Masterplan

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The ambition is to develop the area into a new mixed-use business precinct and home to the future HSR terminus. Image courtesy of Arup.

The ambition is to develop the area into a new mixed-use business precinct and home to the future HSR terminus. Image courtesy of Arup.

The Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has appointed KCAP Architects&Planners, leading a multi-disciplinary team consisting of SAA Architects, Arup, S333 and Lekker, as winning consultant for the development of a masterplan for Singapore’s Jurong Lake District. The team submitted the best conceptual masterplan for the site.

Integration of Heritage and Nature
The team developed a high-density mixed-use concept masterplan for the area around the future high- speed rail (HSR) terminus in Singapore. The ambition is to develop the area into a new mixed-use business precinct and home to the future HSR terminus, which will further anchor Jurong Lake District as ‘a district of the future’ and as Singapore’s second Central Business District. A key focus of the winning conceptual plan submitted by KCAP and team involved the integration of new waterways and a series of green spaces within Jurong Lake District whilst manifesting a strong, distinctive identity.

Process
An evaluation panel comprising senior representatives and practitioners from government agencies, academia, and industry selected KCAP and team out of five international shortlisted teams as the winning consultant. Following this, the team will work with URA and relevant agencies to draw up a detailed masterplan proposal for the district. There will be an exhibition of the proposal in mid-2017 to gather public feedback where after the team will work with URA to refine the plans.

Jurong Lake District
Jurong Lake District is a regional centre in west Singapore, planned as part of URA’s decentralisation efforts to create new commercial activities, amenities, and recreational facilities outside the Central Area of Singapore. The new mixed-use precinct, Lakeside Gateway, is set within the Jurong Lake District and will function as a new international gateway into Singapore with the future High Speed Rail to Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia.

Retractable security gates

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S07-2 side-by-side retractable security gate

The Australian Trellis Door Company (ATDC) has recently completed a prestigious installation for DFS Group’s  new duty free store  at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam.

Working closely with leading international luxury retailer DFS GROUP and specifying architect PMDL out of Hong Kong,ATDC supplied its cutting edge retractable security gates to secure the luxury store’s valuable merchandise.

ATDC also collaborated on this project with Structural Engineer, Structon Group and fitout specialist, Fixx Systems (both companies based in  Vietnam) to produce a finished product that surpassed the customer’s expectations.

S08 curved retractable security gate

S08 curved retractable security gate

PMDL’s Hong Kong office approached ATDC primarily because ATDC possesses  the most space efficient retail closure in the market today, namely its S07-2 side-by-side retractable security gate which operates on a tandem top tracking system. The very wide and curved shopfront opening (nearly 45 metres) required a space efficient solution which complemented the customer’s high profile luxury image. ATDC provided its S08 curved retractable security gate in a dual  S07-2  top track configuration and thereby achieved a minimal storage requirement for the doors during trading hours.

Numerous kiosk locations within the store itself also required security however provided a challenge since these particular locations have  extremely high ceilings and no top structural bulkheads-in these locations ATDC supplied its S04-1 trackless, mobile, retractable security gates which  provide DFS Group  with the required lock up of their valuable merchandise. Numerous barriers were installed in rectangular configurations to adequately secure the particular angled shapes of the kiosks. Other configurations are possible including securing circular or curved apertures.

ATDC supplies its quality retractable security gates to Hong Kong, Singapore and throughout SouthEast Asia as well as the Asia Pacific region and the UAE as well as throughout Australia.

ATDC is currently working on a prestigious project at Singapore’s Changi International Airport where ATDC’s retractable security gates are being installed at eight (8) high profile retail tenancies. The standard powder coated finishes for these gates are either in black satin or pearl white. However, a special precious silver pearl finish is being applied to the gates at the Singapore Changi International Airport project.

ATDC’s retractable security gates are suitable for commercial, industrial and residential applications. These doors are security rated under Australian Standards with multi-point locking mechanisms, full frames and are constructed from heavy duty steel or extruded aluminium for extra rigidity and strength. The retractable gates require no headroom and can span unlimited widths without the need for any removable mullions, making them very easy to operate. The gates are extremely low maintenance requiring only the regular application of a silicone spray to keep the top track and moving components well-lubricated.

For more information visit www.trellisdoors.com.au .

 

GBCI Announces New Technology Organisation

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LEED-certified buildings can use arc to improve and benchmark against other certified buildings around them.

LEED-certified buildings can use arc to improve and benchmark against other certified buildings around them.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) announced a new technology organisation called arc during the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) International Summit held at the 2016 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Officially launching later in 2016, arc will further the performance of the green building industry and the built environment as a whole.

Scot Horst, USGBC’s chief product officer, has been named arc’s incoming CEO. He will transition from his role with USGBC and LEED at the end of 2016.

“As the leaders of the green building movement over the last two decades, USGBC and GBCI have gathered more green building data and its related business intelligence than any other organisation in the world,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Through this data we have begun to measure, monitor and score building performance in real time. We developed arc as a way to provide new and more transparent ways to share this information.”

“Scot’s leadership of this new venture is a testament to his expertise and vision. He’s led LEED’s continued evolution through LEED 2009 and v4, its globalisation and its shift from a design tool to a performance metric. We welcome him to his new role,” continued Fedrizzi.

Arc is a state of the art platform that will allow any building to participate and immediately start measuring performance, make improvements and benchmark against itself. The goal of arc is to support the missions of USGBC and GBCI. LEED-certified buildings can use arc to improve and benchmark against other certified buildings around them. Buildings that have not certified yet will be able to use arc to make incremental sustainability improvements and eventually achieve LEED certification.

“The LEED rating system revolutionised the design, construction and operations of green buildings more than 16 years ago,” said Scot Horst, incoming CEO, arc. “Arc’s goal is to transform green performance technology and bring data, mobility and the most disruptive technologies available today to support a holistic approach to building our future. It will connect actions through a single platform that delivers a higher quality of life.”

The arc platform is a complement to LEED and other green building rating systems, standards, protocols and guidelines and allows buildings and spaces to connect to the built environment in a new way by comparing performance metrics and connecting them to green building strategies. Arc eliminates complexities and barriers to behavioural change.

Arc was developed by GBCI, which is the only certification and credentialing body within the green business and sustainability industry to exclusively administer project certifications and professional credentials and certificates for various rating systems. Arc is an open platform built to integrate the current and future standards, guidelines, protocols and systems that enable a higher quality of life.

Buildtech Yangon 2016 Meets Needs of Myanmar’s Building and Construction Sector

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BuildTech Yangon is the leading trade show of its kind.

BuildTech Yangon is the leading trade show of its kind.

The third edition of BuildTech Yangon concluded on May 28, 2016 after three days of trade discussions, commercial engagements and extensive knowledge sharing among some 3,000 trade visitors and business professionals from the region. Organised by Sphere Exhibits, a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), and co-organised by the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association (MCEA), BuildTech Yangon is the leading trade show of its kind focusing on the entire value chain for the built environment sector.

H.E Zae Aye Maung, Minister for Rakhine Affairs Ministry and Labour Affairs, Immigration and Manpower Ministry, Government of Yangon Region, graced the opening ceremony of the trade show. Designed specifically to meet the needs of the burgeoning building and construction industry in Myanmar, BuildTech Yangon 2016 saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between MCEA’s Mandalay Chapter and Sphere Exhibits to co-organise the inaugural staging of BuildTech Mandalay later this year. This extended collaboration further reinforces a stronger alliance between the two organisations in their efforts to extend the knowledge building and trade opportunities to industry professionals in Myanmar.

Positive response for integrated show and skills upgrading platform
The show hosted some 80 exhibiting companies from Austria, China, Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, each of which offered a range of products, services and solutions for four key areas: Onsite construction machinery and equipment, building materials and architectural solutions, interior finishing and facilities management.

Visitors were able to check out various products and cutting edge technology put on display.

Visitors were able to check out various products and cutting edge technology put on display.

Industry professionals who visited the show included architects, developers, building and trade agency representatives, investors, manufacturers of machine and building, retailers, security, state-owned company owners, surveyors, trainers and wholesalers.

Ms. Nicole Zycinski Singh, General Manager of Killem Pest Pte Ltd, said: “We are very happy with our experience exhibiting at this year’s BuildTech Yangon. The organisers have done a fantastic job in coming up with a focused event and in attracting quality visitors. For a homegrown company with little experience in the Indochina market, we have received very good responses from potential buyers, several of whom have already enquired about our services. We will definitely consider returning for the next edition of BuildTech Yangon.”

The complimentary Business Seminar Series, which took place from May 26 to 28, 2016 focused on the following topics:

  • Construction safety
  • Working at heights
  • Fire safety and disaster management
  • Sustainability
  • Energy efficiency in green buildings
  • Security and town planning
  • Special economic zones
  • The investment outlook in Myanmar
  • Construction law
  • Sustainable and responsible urban design and building management
  • Infrastructure management

Young Construction Entrepreneurs Award
BuildTech Yangon also played host to MCEA’s Golden 20 Jubilee Gala, which hosted 250 guests on May 26, 2016. Three of Myanmar’s young construction entrepreneurs were presented with Diamond, Platinum and Silver awards under two categories: Professionals under 10 Years and Professionals Above 10 Years for successfully incorporating the latest construction technologies into various stages of the supply chain.

The show welcomed 3,000 trade visitors and business professionals from the region.

The show welcomed 3,000 trade visitors and business professionals from the region.

BuildTech Yangon 2016 was supported by the International Facilities Management Association (Singapore Chapter), International Powered Access Federation, Malaysia Heavy Construction Equipment Owners Association, Myanmar Engineering Council, Myanmar Engineering Society, Myanmar Industries Association, Singapore Institute of Building Limited, Vietnam Electronics Industry Association, Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Association, World Evergreen Travel & Tours and WSH (Asia).

Mr. U Tha Htay, President of Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association (MCEA), said, “We are happy to receive good feedback from both exhibitors and trade visitors. The third edition of BuildTech Yangon delivered a more focused event that was very well received by the attendees. Its newly revamped platform for the industry, consisting of an extensive product showcase, fruitful networking sessions and specialised seminar programmes, successfully catered to the needs of Myanmar’s industry progression in providing right balance for the progression of the building and construction sector in Myanmar.”

The fourth edition of BuildTech Yangon will take place in May 2017. For more information, visit www.btyangon.com/en.

BEI Asia Awards Held Successfully for Third Consecutive Year

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Winners of the BEI Asia Awards 2015/16. Image courtesy of www.facebook.com/BEIasiaAwards

Winners of the BEI Asia Awards 2015/16. Image courtesy of www.facebook.com/BEIasiaAwards

The prestigious Built Environment Industry (BEI) Asia Awards 2015/16 Awards Ceremony and Gala dinner took place on May 19 2016 at ONE°15 Marina Club, a premier marina and lifestyle club nestled within Sentosa Cove.

Organised by PTL Group, the BEI Asia Awards was first launched in 2013 to recognise, reward, and honour the achievements of leading enterprises across Singapore’s Built Environment Industry. The event was graced by  Guest of Honour, Mr. Lui Tuck Yew, Former Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Defence, and was attended by over 300 guests – some of whom had flown in from overseas to witness and celebrate the triumphs of the well-deserving winners.

BEI Asia Award 2016 now spans across the globe with 25 award winners from Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore. A combined turnover in excess of SGD$16 billion were honoured for the enterprises’ proactive contributions to the Built Environment Industry with a focus on Green initiatives, innovation and sustainability.

BEI Asia Award 2016 also saw the introduction of the “The Environmental Conservation Award”, which recognises the corporation’s efforts to create a voice for the conservation and preservation of our habitat and natural resources. Moreover, the rebranding of the Asia Green Building Award to Asia Green Business Award highlights the outstanding achievements of the local and regional companies within this sector who are at the forefront of promoting sustainability efforts in their businesses.

id212 Pte Ltd has won at the BEI Asia Awards three consecutive years in a row. Image courtesy of www.facebook.com/BEIasiaAwards

id212 Pte Ltd has won at the BEI Asia Awards three consecutive years in a row. Image courtesy of www.facebook.com/BEIasiaAwards

Mr. Fong Kwok Shiung, Chairman of the Awards Organising Committee, stated in his welcoming speech, “They have successfully turned their green initiatives into innovative product and service offerings, which provide environmentally friendly and sustainable methods or solutions to help reduce our carbon footprint, recycle and recover from material scrapes and reusing them so as to minimise the waste they emit on a per project basis.”

Nominees of the BEI Asia awards were required to submit a comprehensive submission kit and undergo a face-to-face interview with an independent panel of judges. Looking beyond the impressive financial growth and business model of each entry, the judges looked for organisations that have been adopting best business practices when conducting their businesses.

Led by Chief Judge, Professor Willie Tan, Head of the Department of Building at the National University of Singapore, said, “For us (judges), we not only look at their business model, strategy and vision, but also how the company looks after its own internal stakeholders and how they contribute back to society and care for the environment.”

For a full list of winners, visit the BEI Asia Awards page.

Milan’s Torre Arcobaleno restoration is completed to mark Expo 2015.

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DCIM105GOPROThe modernisation work of the famous Torre Arcobaleno (Rainbow Tower) at Porto Garibaldi has been completed and was recently presented, under the patronage of Milan City Council and in association with the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and Gruppo FS Italian e-railway authorities.

Dating back to 1964 and once upon a time an anonymous water reservoir on the site of the important FS Milano Porta Garibaldi railway station, the Tower was first renovated ahead of the football World Cup held in Italy in 1990, a project that turned a downtrodden public works into a highly recognisable urban beacon. Since then, the Torre Arcobaleno has been a highly significant building for the city, a distinctive symbol of Milan’s colour and creativity, and has gradually become known as a major landmark.

A number of top companies came together with those handling the first refurbishment since 1990 to enable this unusual urban structure – clad with more than 100,000 coloured ceramic tiles – to regain all its original brightness of 25 or so years ago to mark the amazing presence of Expo 2015. The partner firms in the Torre Arcobaleno renovation project, carried out with the supervisory approval of the City of Milan Public Works and Urban Furnishing Department as the guests of the Italian State Railways, were Bazzea – B Construction Technology, Condor, Fila Solutions, Mapei and Marazzi.

Now as then, in 1990, the project was prepared and the works organised by the Architecture Division of the Milan firm Original Designers 6R5 Network, represented by Francesco Roggero, Albino Pozzi, Rita Alfano Roggero and Kiyoto Ishimoto. The renovation – all the costs of which were met by the project’s partner companies and architects – is a gift to Milan and the millions of visitors it will be welcoming during Expo 2015. The works were completed in just 71days, employing 37 workers.

The colours of the Torre Arcobaleno express the desire to inhabit our planet intelligently.

The colours of the Torre Arcobaleno express the desire to inhabit our planet intelligently.

The Torre Arcobaleno forms part of the Wonderline project by Original Designers 6R5 Network, which has been running for a number of years, linking initiatives in the world of art and architecture with the theme of Colour. The colours of the Torre Arcobaleno express the desire to inhabit our planet intelligently, creating a harmony between technology, nature, innovation and tradition. The Garibaldi zone of the nearby Piazza Gae Aulenti is the acknowledged nerve centre of the city’s Business, Fashion and Modern Architecture scenes.

The zone, now restyled by futuristic skyscrapers, has adopted the Torre Arcobaleno as its “Colourful Ceramic Totem”, there to remind people of Italy’s Master Potters and the craft origins of an industry famous all over the world for its Italian Excellence.

Accelerate the Move to BIM for Infrastructure with Enhanced Autodesk InfraWorks 360

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Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, recently announced that it is enhancing its Autodesk InfraWorks 360 product by including new Road Design, Drainage Design and Bridge Design Modules at no additional charge or separate subscriptions.

These advanced capabilities were previously found separately in vertical Autodesk application modules. By including these features in the core InfraWorks product, users will no longer need to purchase modules individually.

A rendering of the E16 Highway in Norway created in InfraWorks 360 by Autodesk customer, COWI. Image courtesy of COWI

A rendering of the E16 Highway in Norway created in InfraWorks 360 by Autodesk
customer, COWI. Image courtesy of COWI

InfraWorks 360 is Autodesk’s next generation BIM for Infrastructure offering that enables true parametric modeling in spatial context. It uniquely offers customers the benefits of maintaining a BIM workflow through planning, design, construction and operations of infrastructure assets. Many customers worldwide like Parsons Brinkerhoff, VHB, David, Evans & Associates, Soethe Cursino (Brazil), and others have leveraged the power of InfraWorks 360 to optimise their project delivery process.

AutoCAD Civil 3D users are also now able to attach InfraWorks 360 to their traditional CAD-based workflows and improve their productivity through enhanced BIM workflows. The seamless interoperability between InfraWorks 360 and Civil 3D provides customers an unparalleled opportunity to fuse BIM’s contextual visualisation capabilities with detailed CAD design in their projects.

“We’re constantly working to expand the capabilities of InfraWorks 360 and help customers improve their project workflows. By integrating more functionality into the core InfraWorks 360 product at no additional cost, we are lowering the barriers to adoption for customers and helping them to accelerate their move to BIM for infrastructure,” said Gianluca Lange, Head of Sales for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, Autodesk ASEAN.

Existing users InfraWorks 360 simply need to update their version of InfraWorks 360 to gain access to the complete package. New subscribers to InfraWorks 360 will also immediately have access to all the capabilities available within the InfraWorks 360 portfolio.

Beyond including these new Road Design, Drainage Design and Bridge Design Modules at no additional cost: Students, teachers and schools worldwide can take advantage of free* access to InfraWorks and other 3D design tools and curricula via the Autodesk Academic Resource Center

Interested users can access a free* 30-day trial of InfraWorks 360 via Autodesk.com.

AECOM and Pininfarina collaborate for winning design of new Istanbul airpot

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İGA has chosen an innovative design by AECOM and Pininfarina as the winner of an international design competition for the regional Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and technical building at the Istanbul New Airport. Unusually, the winning entry marries influences from the aviation and automotive sectors, with strong architectural design.

The AECOM and Pininfarina collaboration was chosen from a total of six entries from international architectural teams, including Zaha Hadid, Fuksas, Moshe Safdie, Grimshaw-Nordic and RMJM. The win marks AECOM’s first collaboration with Pininfarina, the design house renowned for its car designs for Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, among others. The collaboration combines the expertise of AECOM’s architectural and engineering teams with Pininfarina’s distinctive architectural style that epitomises speed and movement, influenced by automotive design.

Yusuf Akçayoğlu, chief executive officer of İGA, said, “One of the world’s largest aviation projects, Istanbul New Airport’s air traffic control tower will be an iconic structure, visible to all passengers travelling through the airport. We were looking for a striking design fit for a 21st century airport while remaining sensitive to Istanbul’s unique heritage. We received excellent designs from all over the world and are delighted to announce the AECOM and Pininfarina team as the competition winner.”

The innovative design inspired by the tulip, a unique cultural symbol of Istanbul.

The innovative design inspired by the tulip, a unique cultural symbol of Istanbul.

The ATC will be the landmark for Istanbul New Airport, which is set to be the world’s largest new airport in terms of annual passenger capacity. The competition scope was to deliver the concept designs for the tower, showcasing contemporary sustainable architectural design that reflects the multi-cultural and historical characteristics of Istanbul city.

The AECOM and Pininfarina design evokes the aerodynamic forms used in automotive and aviation design, and includes an elliptical tower that will be visible to all passengers flying in and out of the new airport. The tower shape is inspired by the tulip, which has been the symbol of Istanbul for many centuries and is an important cultural reference in Turkish history.

Bernardo Gogna, senior vice president and director of global aviation, AECOM, said, “Our approach to this competition was to combine the expertise of a different design industry with AECOM’s in-house aviation architecture and engineering capabilities. Our goal was to bring Pininfarina’s values, which are grounded in tradition and craftsmanship, to the world of aviation. The result marries pure iconic beauty with true innovation.”

The design competition is the latest win for AECOM at Istanbul New Airport. Earlier this year it was appointed by İGA to deliver designs for all the airside works at the airport. The new airport will have an initial capacity of 90 million passengers per year. It will be located on the European side of the city, 35 kilometres from the centre on a site adjacent to the Black Sea. Subsequent planned phases will expand the airport to include six runways and three terminal buildings. When all phases are complete, the airport will have an annual capacity of up to 200 million passengers.

İGA is a consortium of five leading Turkish contractors comprising Cengiz, Mapa, Limak, Kolin and Kalyon. İGA was awarded the concession to build Istanbul New Airport as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and will also be the operator. In October, İGA secured a €4.5 billion loan from a group of six banks for the first phase of the project.

Flanagan Lawrence tops the competition for Szczecin Summer Theatre

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The back of the stage is enclosed acoustically by curved glazed screens.

The back of the stage is enclosed acoustically by curved glazed screens.

The award-winning practice has designed an acoustically optimised outdoor performance space, located in Kasprowicza Park, Szczecin, Poland. The brief called for design proposals to maximise the flexibility of the 1976-designed theatre for a variety of performances on the stage, and to add a new roof to enclose both the stage and the audience.

The underside of the roof, which covers the stage and front of auditorium, will enhance and project the natural acoustic for orchestral events. This is achieved by a roof, which is structurally independent of the existing arch, and is formed by a curved truss that serves as the edge beam to a single cable net structure. This net supports a series of inflated fabric roof panels and suspended acoustic reflectors. Two additional trusses span the stage to support the load of the lighting grid.

Jason Flanagan, Design Director at Flanagan Lawrence.

Jason Flanagan, Design Director at Flanagan Lawrence.

Said Jason Flanagan, “The doubly-curved roof form follows the natural slope of the amphitheatre on the existing hillside to retain the views across the park, and then dramatically lifts over the stage to provide the necessary height for the performance area.”

The back of the stage is enclosed acoustically by curved glazed screens, which offer picturesque views out to Rusalka Lake and create a scenic backdrop to performances. Flanagan Lawrence’s proposal will also up grade the 2,500 seat structure with additional facilities including a box office, bathrooms, a café and a refurbished backstage area. The original structure, including the concrete arch, was designed by Zbigniew Abrahamowicz and opened in 1976.