Projects | Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Australia

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There are stage veterans who still remember when Her Majesty's Theatre was the heart of Adelaide. Every performance used to overflow with local workers in the upper gallery seats, high up on level three, unofficially named 'the gods'. Constructed in 1913, Her Majesty’s is Adelaide’s oldest continually operating theatre.

After ‘the gods’ were shut down and essentially forgotten about for decades, they were recreated, together with the restoration and expansion of the iconic theatre and completed in early 2021.

Restoring the theatre back to its grandeur

Aurecon was part of the specialist team with designer Cox Architecture, restoring the theatre back to its Edwardian grandeur with new seating for 1,400 people, an auditorium spread over three storeys, rejuvenated foyers and a spacious backstage area. Aurecon took on the full building services design role, which encompassed electrical, audio visual, security, mechanical, fire, hydraulics and lifts.

The cornerstone of every design decision is ensuring an exceptional patron experience. The design team achieved this through acoustic performance, flexible and attractive lighting designs, foyer arrangements that ‘wow’ audiences, and auditorium seating geometry for the best possible viewing.

Location

Kaurna Country
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Client

Adelaide Festival Centre Trust

Partners

Cox Architecture

Aurecon's Role

Building services design role, which encompassed electrical, audio visual, security, mechanical, fire, hydraulics, lifts and specialist lighting

Expertise

Building Design

Complete

2021

Her Majesty's Theatre is an extensive restoration of its world-class status and iconic theatre in Adelaide.

Aurecon teamed up with designer Cox Architecture to restore the theatre to its Edwardian grandeur.

The design team achieved an acoustic performance, flexible and attractive lighting designs that ‘wow’ audiences, and auditorium seating geometry for the best possible viewing.

Her Majesty's Theatre has a stunning heritage design with modern architecture for people to seats across three levels.

Aurecon design the pedestrian modelling in the theatre foyers to maximise circulation space for theatre audiences and ensure easy interaction.

Aurecon is undertaking the full building services design role, which encompasses electrical, audio visual, security, mechanical, fire, hydraulics and lifts.

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Her Majesty's Theatre is an extensive restoration of its world-class status and iconic theatre in Adelaide.

Aurecon’s solutions were integral in achieving this through:

Under-seat air cooling that achieves a balance between comfort and acoustics. The cooling system integrates emergency smoke management and has freed up floor space for auditorium geometry and extra seating capacity, which was a challenge due to the fixed dimensions of the existing theatre
Pedestrian modelling in the foyers to maximise circulation space for theatre audiences and ensure easy interaction with the ticketing desks, as well as with food, beverage and retail areas
Lighting design developed together with the interior design to enhance the heritage features of the building and provide flexibility to cater for a variety of performances
The backstage amenity that created a quality experience for visiting productions, and systems with technical capability, flexibility and capacity on the stage to handle the electrical and mechanical requirements of each performance
When designing the building services systems, Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology was used to make sure they are hidden from view and allow for the maximum use of space both onstage and in the backstage areas

This is a building for the cultural future of Adelaide. Her Majesty’s is once again hosting music, dance, comedy, theatre and musical productions and will continue to do so for generations to come.

Award-winning

The project has won the following awards:

Winner: Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand (IESANZ) International Awards 2023 – Award of Excellence
Winner: Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) The Lighting Society Awards 2022 South Australia Chapter – Award of Excellence
Winner: Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) The Lighting Society Awards 2022 South Australia Chapter – People’s Choice Award