Glantre Engineering was appointed by Brymor Construction to provide a full theatre package for the refurbishment of the Memorial Hall at Marlborough College. The hall is used for presentations, assemblies and teaching during the daytime, and internal and public concerts in the evenings.

The Memorial Hall is somewhat unusual in that it is semi-circular, which presented an interesting acoustic challenge for consultant Neill Woodger Acoustics and Theatre Design (NWA). Furthermore, many of the existing features of the auditorium were retained during the refurbishment which presented further integration challenges. The project also encompassed a newly built proscenium, stage, dressing rooms, toilets, HVAC system, electrical installation, overhead rigging, production lighting, public address, audio-visual, and IT network.

Glantre worked closely with NWA to develop a two-part decorative acoustic moveable ceiling structure to support stage lighting and public address loudspeakers and to allow the acoustic properties of the stage area to be dynamically optimised for a particular performance.

The overhead rigging system comprises winches supplied by our German partners ASM Steuerungstechnikin the ceiling void which enable the lowering of the main “mother” structure. There is also a winch and spring cable reeler mounted on the moving ceiling panel to serve the overstage lighting bar mounted below the panel.

Production lighting dimmers from Zero88 are installed in the dimmer room and production lighting luminaires from ETC and Robe are featured both on the moveable ceiling structure, separate powered lighting bar and fixed,  semi-circular Internally-wired bars. A Strand VisionNet system controls the GDS house and work lighting system and an ETC Ion lighting console controls the production lighting.

Glantre provided two separate public address systems. An EM Acoustics system serves the concert function and is controlled from the Digico S21 mixing console, whilst a separate voice reinforcement system controlled from a wall-panel is served by Renkus Heinz steerable array column loudspeakers.

Glantre also integrated paging, intercom, and assistive listening systems into the facility.