Project Description
Overview
In 2018 the Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), commissioned WSDG to design a state-of-the-art recording and mixing suite for the MCCC’s increasingly popular (and rapidly expanding) Sound Recording and Music Technology Program (SRT). An immediate success, it continues to produce skilled new members of the professional recording community. When the MCCC Board of Trustees approved the the renovation of the existing Science Center and theater, Spillman-Farmer Architects was retained to design and supervise the Science Center restoration and WSDG was awarded the design commission for the renovated theater’s acoustics, audio, rigging, lighting and video systems.
Program
The ambitious renovation of MCCC’s Science Center and theater commenced in 2019. Thanks to WSDG’s extensive experience in remote design collaboration, a company-wide effort to generate detailed plans for every facet of the renovated theater was undertaken. This intricate proposal was approved by MCCC. The demolition, renovation and reconstruction work schedule launched in 2020.
Design
The renovated theater represented the primary element of this ambitious transformation and was swiftly identified as a key element of the building. WSDG submitted a plan to reconfigure three smaller but conveniently contiguous lecture halls into the newly imagined 563-seat theater (63 at the balcony – 500 in the main auditorium). Creative planning sessions led to a cost-effective salvaging recommendation for transforming an existing flexible catwalk into a hybrid infrastructure that now serves as the skeleton for the new balcony installation. The theater was conceived as a multi-purpose venue capable of facilitating not only live theatrical performances and concerts, but classes on video game design, and screenings of films and educational videos on projection screens both hung from the ceiling and mounted in front of the stage. The new theater and its state-of-the-art technology provide myriad opportunities for students in audio and video production, including real-world experience to film and record live shows. The theater was intentionally designed to connect with the recording and mixing suite, and this innovative combination offers limitless experiences for performers, students and community members. Since the project was completed in 2023, it has quickly earned its place as a focal point for campus and community activities