Kirkegaard Associates completes Encore Park’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 9, 2008
Encore Park’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, operated by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), opened this weekend with a rousting concert led by Maestro Robert Spano. The 12,000-seat venue sits amid 45 acres of land northwest of Atlanta in the City of Alpharetta and becomes one of two outdoor venues in the country to be managed simultaneously by an American orchestra.
Sparked two years ago and designed by Minnesota-based design architects KKE Architects; Chicago architectural acoustics firm, Kirkegaard Associates; landscape design architects, Sasaki Associates; and theater consultants, Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, this world renowned design team produced a first-class venue capable of drawing performers and visitors from the United States and beyond.
With 5,000 covered seats and 7,000 lawn seats, the venue will host a variety of national acts, from popular rock shows and touring Broadway musicals to smaller community events, and ASO pops/classical performances. The new roof design is light and airy, covered with fabric and allows for open sightlines.
Built at a cost of $35 million, this attractive venue stands ready to expand upon the ASO’s musical and educational offerings, already significant in Atlanta, the surrounding communities, and indeed the entire state.Combined with its activities at the Woodruff Arts Center and Chastain Park, the facility will allow the ASO to present more than 300 concerts annually.
Larry Kirkegaard, President of Kirkegaard Associates, says “The amphitheater is a delight. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone involved to deliver a venue that sounds great, is practical, exciting and aesthetically pleasing.”
Kirkegaard’s project team was led by Principal Acoustician, Larry Kirkegaard and Senior Consultant, Polyana Frangetto; responsibility for noise control was directed by Senior Consultant Terry Tyson. Senior Consultant, Mark Penz lent his expertise to the check out/commissioning of the project.
Kirkegaard Associates is one of the world’s leading acoustics design firms providing comprehensive consulting services for clients seeking the highest quality listening environments. The firm consists of 28 individuals offering experience in architectural acoustics, audio/video systems design; electronic media technology, and mechanical noise and vibration control. The company has earned a reputation for excellence in the design of more than 2,500 successful projects which include: theatres, concert halls, opera houses, educational institutions, worship spaces, recording and broadcast studios, and many other acoustically sensitive environments in North and South America, Europe, the Far East and Australia.