• Atlanta celebrates Cobb Energy Centre — Its first new cultural venue in over 40 years

• September 21, 2007

The new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (CEPAC), located northwest of downtown Atlanta, opened its doors last weekend with a Gala Opening and performances by Michael Feinstein and Linda Eder in the 2,750-seat John A. Williams Theatre. The first new major performance venue to grace the area in four decades stands visible to those who commute the I-75 corridor and surrounding highways commanding a presence with its 65-foot tall glass entrance.

Atlanta architect, Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates (SRSSA), Connecticut-based Theatre Projects Consultants, and Chicago-based architectural acoustics firm, Kirkegaard Associates, collaborated closely with Atlanta’s leaders to create a multi-purpose space that would accommodate a wide range of programming.

Different from “symphonic” halls in that the acoustics for multi-purpose halls require flexibility enough to accommodate its many uses; whether it be Ballet, Opera, Broadway musicals, or Country and Western music, the Theatre’s draw for touring groups is substantial. Tout 2,750-seats which generally warrant a wider room, and you provide more audience members the luxury of being closer to the performers. In this intimate environment, a special envelopment of sound and entertainment is easily enjoyed.

Throughout this richly-textured Theatre, the finishes embody the acoustical requirements, such as the balcony fronts and even the lighting fixtures. Free standing “feature” walls flank the proscenium opening which provide lateral reflections for the natural and amplified sounds and gives the visual perception of a narrower room. Adjustable draperies are in place at the upper level to control the sound energy within the Theatre. Depending on whether they are deployed or stored, the draperies are capable of enhancing the fidelity or warmth and spaciousness of the Theatre acoustics.

What the audience hears obviously emanates from performers and having the ability to hear themselves “play” is paramount to having that feeling of “support” on stage. To achieve this, the Theatre’s upper volume house a series of acoustical clouds floating just above a veil of metal mesh, which reflects the sound back to the performers and projects sound into the audience.

Couple the acoustics inside the Theatre with the mass of the 20- inches thick outer structural walls, which keeps the noise from the interstate at bay, and you will find a spectacular venue, in an easily accessible location, ready for a myriad of uses.

Members of Kirkegaard Associates’ project team included: Larry Kirkegaard, President and Principal Acoustician; Anthony Shou, Project Manager and Acoustics Consultant; and Ben Wilt, Noise and Vibration Consultant.