Schauspielhaus, Landestheater Linz, Austria

Object Type
Theatres
Listed

Client
Land Oberösterreich vertreten durch das Amt der OÖ. Landesregierung

Architects
Jabornegg & Pálffy Architekten, Wien

Completion
2017

Expertises
Room Acoustics
Building Acoustics

The former “Große Haus” of the Landestheater Linz was redesigned by Clemens Holzmeister in the 1950s and was originally conceived as a three-section house for music and spoken theater as well as ballet. Following extensive renovation of the auditorium, foyer and adjoining rooms, it has now been converted primarily into a theater, but can also be used for smaller musical productions. The successful reopening with Shakespeare's “The Tempest” took place on 01.04.2017.

The focus was on improving seating comfort, acoustics, sight lines and building services - all in accordance with the strict requirements of the Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments. The surfaces of the wall cladding were restored in accordance with historical specifications, for example in terms of the color or gloss level of the wood, and also meet the room acoustics requirements. This also applies to the sound-absorbing cladding on the convex balustrades and special bass traps in the rear parquet area. In future, the auditorium will be entered through acoustically effective airlocks. The height difference between the rows in the first and second tiers and the distance between the rows of seats were increased to improve visibility, direct sound and seating comfort. The renewal of the entire building services posed a particular challenge. New ventilation and cooling units were installed in the historic building with the requirement that a high level of sound insulation between the technical rooms and the common areas and audience areas was guaranteed.

Image Copyright
1 Norbert Artner
2 Petra Moser
3 Petra Moser