APPLICATION OF PROJECT
Outdoor concert theatre at Jacobs Park
The Rady Shell Concert Venue Description
The Rady Shell in San Diego Symphony’s new bay side venue is the first permanent year-round bay side concert venue in the nation operated by the Symphony Orchestra. The Rady Shell can accommodate audiences of 3,500 – 8,000 per concert and up to 10,000 for special events.
Fabritecture was engaged for the technical design and fabrication of the Rady Shell performance structure and surrounding pavilion structures. The Shell itself comprises a rolled steel frame and PTFE cladding. The entire structure is approximately 236,000lbs (107,000kgs or 107 tonnes).
The stage accommodates an orchestra size of up to 150 musicians and choir with a front of stage width of 32m and depth of 20m. The roof cantilevers 15m from the front of the stage and can carry a payload of up to 50T. The stage incorporates state of the art constellation sound system designed and engineered by Meyer Sound. This system provides an exemplary sound environment on stage for the musicians, whilst also providing the technical flexibility required for a variety of other performances
The overall project includes development of a range of public facilities, including restrooms, fitness facilities & rest areas. Food pavilions and a small stage are also part of the master design plan.
DESIGN / FABRICATION / INSTALLATION BRIEF
The Rady Shell at Jacob’s Park in San Diego Symphony's new bay side venue is the first permanent year-round bay side concert venue in the nation operated by the symphony orchestra. The Shell can accommodate audiences of 3,500 - 8,000 per concert and up to 10,000 for special events.
Fabritecture was engaged for the technical design, fabrication, and construction of The Rady Shell structure and other surrounding smaller structures. The Shell itself comprises a rolled steel frame and PTFE cladding. We worked closely with Shuler Shook to ensure fabric and steel adequately accommodated the audio video, lighting design and acoustics.
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
The Rady Shell is one of the most iconic, beautiful, and functional venues ever constructed in the USA. Acoustics are difficult to achieve in a lightweight structure due to the low mass of the fabric cladding. The design of the performance shell structure allows the perfect amount of sound reverberation back to the symphony members so that they can hear each other, and the feel is that of one of the top-notch concerts in the world.
The stage accommodates an orchestra size of up to 150 musicians and choir with a front of stage width of 32m and depth of 20m. The roof cantilevers 15m from the front of the stage and can carry a payload of up to 50T. Lighting, audio visual equipment, heavy steel catwalks in the roof and fixtures needed to be hung from the trusses of the performance shell and are supported by the structure.
The stage incorporates state of the art constellation sound system designed and engineered by Meyer Sound. This system provides an exemplary sound environment on stage for the musicians, whilst also providing the technical flexibility required for a variety of other performances.
The overall project includes development of a range of public facilities, including restrooms, fitness facilities & rest areas. Food pavilions and a small stage are also part of the master design plan.
MATERIALS
The Rady Shell structure features Chukoh FGT-800 PTFE as the primary fabric cladding. The Shell has a unique organic quality due to the use of tensile fabric. You can hear all the different sound balances which allows the orchestra members to perform the way you would in a concert hall, not an outdoor venue. The client was extremely pleased with the end result of the project and the venue enjoyed its opening performance night at Jacob's Park just recently in August 2021!
FABRICATION
The performance shell understandably has a large surface area. The PTFE fabric was broken up into several components to aid transport. The main shell was split into 2 main fabrics. The side structures were fabricated separately again with smaller elements of fabric. These were joined together on site once connected to the steel. This helped the ease of installation.
The steelwork was fabricated in sections offsite and delivered via truck to allow smooth transport. The steel was delivered to site fully finished which also reduced installation timeframes.
COLLABORATION, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
To ensure smooth installation, we had to coordinate with all audio visual trades on site. We added attachments to the steel to accommodate the AV equipment which was fabricated before arriving to site.
As sections of steel were delivered for the side structures, we worked with the glazing contractors to allow them to measure for glazing to ensure the mosaic glass panels could be measured and installed correctly on site. The pavilion structures incorporate kitchen equipment, exhaust fans and pipes which required collaboration with trades to include adequate openings for ventilation.
PTFE was the ideal fabric for the Rady Shell structure as it is a self-cleaning membrane, perfect for the waterfront structure, requiring minimal maintenance.
COSTS
The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park performance shell is valued at AUD$4.13m.
COLOUR IMAGES
Filename:Caption and Credits
8402_01: Panned side shot of the Rady Shell (photo credit: San Diego Symphony)
8402_02: Night rear shot of the Rady Shell (photo credit: San Diego Symphony)
8402_03: Interior shot of fabric (photo credit: San Diego Symphony; Gary Payne)
8402_04: Night shot of the Rady Shell projections (photo credit: San Diego Symphony; Gary Payne)
8402_05: Night shot of the Rady Shell (photo credit: San Diego Symphony; Gary Payne)
8402_06: Panned shot of the Rady Shell (photo credit: San Diego Symphony)
8402_07: Exterior shot of the Rady Shell at dusk (photo credit: San Diego Symphony; Jenna Selby)
8402_08: Exterior front shot of the Rady Shell at dusk (photo credit: San Diego Symphony; Gary Payne)
8402_09:Exterior rear shot of the Rady Shell (photo credit: Tucker Sadler Architects; Ryan Mills)
8402_10: Exterior installation shot of the Rady Shell
8402_11: Installation shot of the Rady Shell
8402_12: Installation shot of fabric
8402_13: Construction shot of steelwork
8402_14: Construction shot of steelwork
8402_15: Panned construction shot of steelwork
PROJECT CREDITS
Project Name: The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Location: 222 Marina Park Way
City: San Diego, CA, United States 92101
GPS Location: 32.704876556070694, -117.16544689258639
Completion Date: 27-Jan-21
Preferred Category: 8 – International projects
Entrant Name: Fabritecture
Address (Street): Unit 14/15 John Duncan Court, Varsity Lakes, QLD 4227
Telephone Landline: +61 7 5587 7000
Mobile: +61 408 402 716
Email Address:
Website Address: www.fabritecture.com
Entrant Type / Role: Performance Shell Technical Designer & Fabrication / Installer
Project Client: San Diego Symphony
Project Architect: Tucker Sadler Architects
Structural Engineer: Coffman Engineers; Wade Design Engineers; Huntington Design & Associates
Specialist Consultant and Role: Schuler Schook (Theatre Consultant)
Other Consultants and Roles: Soundforms (Performance Shell Concept Design); Guildworks (Installer); Transparent Systems Installers (Installer)
Building Contractor: Rudolph and Sletten
Fabricator(s): Confidential
