The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, which opens on 6th August, has been developed through a collaboration between the San Diego Symphony and leading design and construction on experts.
Soundforms, as designer of the performance shell, has been a key partner in the design process. Soundforms and its London partners Flanagan Lawrence, Expedition on and ES Global designed the award-winning mobile acoustic performance shell (MAPS) for the 2012 London Olympics. Working together with Tucker Sadler Architects, Soundforms expanded the design to accommodate a large orchestra with chorus and soloists as a permanent structure on the Embarcadero Marina Park South site.
Tucker Sadler Architects is lead designer and architect of record of this state-of-the-art venue. Greg Mueller, the fi rm’s CEO and Design Principal, has been involved with the project from its inception on 18 years ago. He and his team have been responsible for The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park as a whole, encompassing the performance shell, backstage artist support spaces, three professional kitchens, underground restrooms, a gracefully sloped seating area for up to 10,000, and a park open to the public on one of the most beautiful settings between San Diego Bay and the San Diego skyline.
“We are thrilled to see our shell fi nally realised in this remarkable setting. But we’re even more excited that the shell’s acoustics – for both orchestra and audience – is as superb as we intended. The Rady Shell achieves our core objective – to bring world class acoustics to outdoor performances.”
Jason Flanagan, Partner at Flanagan Lawrence and Co-Founder of Soundforms
“Itʼs an amazing, spectacular outdoor venue. We can hear each other wonderfully and you feel like you are in one of the top-notch concert halls in the world. The Shell has a mind-blowing organic quality....you can actually hear all the diff erent sound balances and perform the way you would in a concert hall, not an outdoor venue.”
Maestro Rafael Payare, Music Director and Conductor of the San Diego Symphony
“The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is a gift to the tidelands and the entire San Diego region. First and foremost, we have created a venue with superb acoustics that is stunning, a postcard for San Diego”
Martha Gilmer, CEO of the San Diego Symphony
Sound Consultant Shawn Murphy worked closely with San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer and the entire design team to ensure the creation of the best possible acoustic environment. Berkeley-based Meyer Sound designed the signature Constellation System, used here in its fi rst outdoor installation, which creates an onstage acoustic equivalent to the high standard of indoor concert halls.
The combination of the shell design with Salter’s acoustic paneling, the Meyer Constellation system and the custom designed L-Acoustic surround reinforcement system, has created the best possible acoustic experience for performers, which translates across a wide range of musical genres into an extraordinary sonic experience for audiences.
Another key partner in creating the performance shell is the Australia-based company Fabritecture, who developed and oversaw the technical design, fabrication and installation of the tensile structure of the performance shell, as well as the backstage support spaces, executive kitchen, the box offi ce and two dining pavilions.
Two further design partners are HLB, responsible for the architectural lighting design, and Schuler Shook, designers of the theater lighting and rigging.
Team:
Lead Designer and Architect of Record: Tucker Sadler & Associates
Performance Shell Designer: Flanagan Lawrence / Soundforms Design Architect
