Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1987 - 11

DESIGN OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ASSOCIATION BUILDING

not be distracted, and must be kept from drafts; ancillary facilities like lockers and shower rooms; and offices
and classrooms, along with lounges for the dancers,
spaces that need to be light and airy, and which consequently have a much different relationship to the outside than the studios and their facilities.
After considerable thought and evaluation of alternatives, the SFBA management chose to locate the school
on the first two floors, the artistic and administrative
staff on the third, and the company's five studios on the

a building whose facade is

critical to the urban context,
the treatment becOlnes a lnajor
concern, and the architect lnust
probably err in achieving a
decorative effect at the expense
of simplicity and clarity . . .
fourth floor. A studio size of 40' by 60' was preferred.
(This is also the size of the performing stage in the San
Francisco Opera House where the company frequently
dances.) But site size and configuration necessitated
some variation, so studio dimensions range from 40' by
60' to 30' by 50'. The studios work remarkably well,
with their gymnasium character softened by infiltration
of quantities of natural light. Seven-foot-high windows
frame views of San Francisco. Dancers can retreat to a
balcony off the Christensen Studio.
The Christensen Studio, named for co-artistic director Lew Christensen, can be divided by a moveable
soundproof wall into two 40' by 60' studios. When used
as a single 80' by 60' studio, the space works for a full
dress rehearsal under lights, with room for a full orchestra and a viewing area for the artistic staff. A special
penetration into the ceiling houses backdrops for still,
public relations-type photography that, like a stage set,
can be dropped from the interstitial space into the studio. The combination of natural and artificial light in the
Christensen Studio is excellent for video photography.
Fluorescent lighting fixtures are specially wired to
eliminate the strobe effect that often causes headaches.
Dancers requested a particular light quality, but then,
after testing several mock-ups of overhead artificial
light, they chose the cool white deluxe tube. (The value
of such on-site tests cannot be overestimated.) Regarding sound control, light switches are noiseless, and
rooms are acoustically sealed to permi t use of incompatible music in adjacent studios. Reverberation within the
studio is controlled by surface-mounted acoustical
treatments.
Flooring varies between company and school studios,
with the latter being less stiff. In the interest of making
an informed decision, we mocked-up a number of 20' by
20' floor sections for testing by dancers, artistic direc-

tors, and staff. The dance floor sits on a concrete floor
slab but is not attached to the concrete or the walls.
Company studios on the top floors are each served by a
totally independent fan system, with individual controls. The rest of the building has two variable-volume
fan systems which are also independently operated,
with one for administrative areas and the other for
school studios, toilets, and locker rooms. The resulting
flexibility in scheduling mechanical systems is very
helpful in responding to the variety of class, rehearsal,
and administrative needs.
All fan systems have economizer cycles to supply the
economically optimum ratio of recirculated air volume
to outside air volume at all times. At the request of the
Ballet, no mechanical cooling was provided. The two
main systems are arranged so that during normal off
periods, fans are turned on and 100% outside air is circulated whenever the inside temperature is above its normal level concurrently with outside air availability at a
lower temperature. This is particularly appropriate with
San Francisco's wide daily range of temperatures. The
warmest days are nearly always followed by cool nights.
Barres are wall-mounted whenever possible and floor
mounted in front of mirrors and windows. The 1W' diameter hardwood barres (white northern maple) are set
in pairs in the company spaces and in triplet in the
school studios. Eight-foot-high mirrors are tilted to
eliminate the shortening and flattening effect that occurs when dancers back away from their reflected image.
The tilt also reflects a full floor-to-ceiling image. Mirrors
can be covered by drapery. The drapery system extends

Isometric Plan

TD&T· SUMMER 1987

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1987