Performance Venue Design

Consulting services for extraordinary venues

RWDI guides the creation of performing arts venues where artists and audiences make powerful connections. We deliver a comprehensive suite of field-leading technical insights in areas from acoustics to ventilation to sustainability as well as theater consulting. We also bring decades of experience helping venue operators craft and execute plans for theaters that thrive: places that engage local communities, attract capital and operations support, and enable outstanding creative work.

Theatre interior


STRONG FOUNDATIONS

Theaters, concert halls and multi-purpose venues live in communities – and they’re animated by relationships between their operators, artists and audiences. RWDI works with communities of all sizes to study local contexts and markets; to understand how and where new creative venues can best take root; and to map the supports they’ll need to flourish over time.

Planning

From carrying out detailed needs assessments to understanding precisely how a new performing arts centre might fit into an existing built environment, we support municipalities and arts organizations with guidance that’s pragmatic, creative, and grounded in decades of experience with venues across North America and around the world.

Flexibility & Efficiency

Early decisions are often the most critical. They can determine whether basic functions like equipment loading are seamless or cumbersome; they can yield substantial operational savings on heating and electricity costs; and they can help to boost revenues by giving operators the flexibility to scale spaces up or down in size, or program multiple spaces concurrently to maximize audience engagement and revenues. The sooner we get involved in a facility’s planning process, the greater the returns our work can deliver over the life of the venue.

SERVICES:

  • Building Program
  • Demographic Studies
  • Functional Relationship Planning
  • Needs Assessments
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Management Consulting
  • Resource Planning
  • Seating Capacity
  • Site Analysis
  • Sustainability Consulting

Amphitheatre

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Theatres and concert venues are tools for creating unique shared experiences. That’s why our process begins not with drawings or technical specifications but by gaining a deep understanding our client’s creative aspirations: the experiences they want to share with their audiences. Our seasoned consultants envision new facilities from the inside out, offering guidance on the spaces, technologies, and functional relationships that will enable extraordinary facility performance. We share valuable insight on everything from equipment loading and technology to acoustics, air quality, and, above all, the rapport between performers and audiences.

Close Collaboration

We work closely with architects and engineers to support the creation and refinement of ambitious and innovative designs. We deliver specialist support on structures like catwalks, technical galleries, grids and rigging. We support the procurement and integration of equipment and technology that supports powerful creative work. And we draw on the full range of RWDI’s in-house technical capabilities to ensure that the facility’s systems and spaces work together to empower artists and inspire audiences.

Opening Night – and Beyond 

Your venue is only complete once it’s working as intended: technology functioning seamlessly, energy performance hitting its targets, people and equipment able to circulate as planned. We perform the testing, commissioning, and performance verification services that help operators gain confidence that their investments are coming to full fruition. We can help you troubleshoot glitches, guide you through LEED certification processes, and offer any other support needed to get your facility – and your team – proudly across the finish line.

SERVICES: