Auditoria, Lecture Halls & Theatres

Furniture, especially seating, greatly impacts on the interior architecture of lecture halls, auditoria and theatres. Many of these spaces are now under pressure to be increasingly ‘flexible’, where seating can be easily removed or reconfigured to support a wide range of uses, from solo-speaker illustrated lectures to concert and cinema performances.

We have been designing memorable, functional and elegant auditorium and lecture theatre seating and interiors for 35 years. In our ‘total design’ philosophy, multiple key factors in the design of such spaces combine and affect each other to create successful venues appropriate to their architectural setting and specific purpose:

Lighting, which should include clear ambient provision and be capable of producing a variety of ‘moods’ to suit the various functions;

•  Acoustics, a subtle art and science which should support voice projection, not inhibit it, and to which even the seating design and materials contribute;
• Provision for the technology not only of today but tomorrow, as far as possible; reliable and high-speed wifi, smart and intelligently controlled AV systems, screens and projectors. Attention must be paid to loudspeaker positions, cable routes etc.
• Dais furniture, e.g. lecterns, lecturers’ tables and inbuilt on-stage AV controls for the speakers;
• Climate control, air circulation, heating and ventilation; and…
• …Of course, the furniture.

Ceremonial furniture such as cable-managed lecterns and speakers’ seating, desks and tables provides a major focus for these interiors, both visually and in terms of hiding audio-visual equipment. In a much more subtle way it must also express the corporate values of the institution in question.

We have, over the years, worked with many architects and in a wide variety of architecturally significant interiors, to devise aesthetically pleasing but reliably practical solutions so all these aims can be realised. We devise numerous materials palettes for ancient or modern environments, calling on the depth of our experience to choose timber, stainless steel, leather, glass and fabrics to suit.

But we believe that the first and most important aspect of our work in any interior, of whatever age or intention, is to understand its people. These are always our first questions: how will this space be used? How can we give its users the best possible experience? Luke Hughes and Company’s comprehensive portfolio of theatres, lecture halls and auditoria is testament to our success.

Call or email Alison Bregstein at LHCL if you want to know more about how we can make your lecture hall or auditorium work for you – on many levels.