Hodgetts & Fung Architects, May ‘04
The 18,000 seat Hollywood Bowl is largest natural amphitheater in the U.S. This iconic, outdoor concert venue has been summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1922. With almost one million attendees recorded annually, featured performances include classical, jazz, world, pop and rock music.
At the conclusion of the Hollywood Bowl’s 2003 season, construction began to replace the old shell and backstage areas with completely redesigned shell and modern, state-of-the-art facilities. As planned, the new shell was opened in time for the 2004 season starting in June. Sonitus was the principal sound system and audio infrastructure design consultant for the project. As part of Los Angeles County’s Park and National Historical Landmark Society, the efforts to complete the project on time, while meeting all of the necessary scope and programming demands, were epic. Annually the Bowl is host to artists as varied as the Rolling Stones, Diana Krall, Femi Kuti and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
As an indicator of the project’s success, the Bowl’s transformation has resulted in five consecutive years as Pollstar’s Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue – an award never received before the renovation. Sonitus’ relationship with the Bowl is on-going and provides direction for system upgrades and improvements to the acoustic environment both on-stage and in the house. In addition, Sonitus plays an important role helping to organize and design systems to mitigate sound wave transmission into the Bowl’s neighboring communities. Such design has led to the “sound mitt” construction on top of one of the concession stands, which catches and attenuates sound before traveling to homes in the community. Sonitus contributes by anticipating future technical and acoustic needs of the modern day icon.
