All the world’s a stage

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Tom Davis.

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TPC has been involved in the development of some of the world’s most prestigious theatre projects, including the new Walt Disney Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

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TPC is currently involved in the development of Bahrain’s National Theatre.

UK-based Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC) has played a key role in the technical development and design of some of the world's leading theatre venues, including Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace auditorium. TPC associate Tom Davis talks to S&S about the vast commercial opportunities currently available in the GCC region.

TPC has been involved in the development of world-class venues in Europe, the US and most recently the Middle East. How do you find working here compares with these established markets?

The Middle East itself presents a very different proposition to these markets, mainly because of the commercial opportunities that are available for companies in this business. You don't necessarily find these opportunities in more established markets, which is one of the main reasons we have focused heavily on the Middle East in recent years.

The number of theatres and conference facilities being built in the Middle East is far greater than saturated markets in Europe, where the bulk of the projects we work on are refurbishments to existing facilities. In the past 10 years, the Middle East has been among the fastest growing markets for our business. Europe and the US are fairly stable by comparison.

We're finding it an incredibly interesting corner of the world to work in, not just because of the speed of development but also because of the commitment of the regional governments to nurturing indigenous art and culture, particularly in regards to live performance, as well as targeting the commercially lucrative international conference and events markets.

There are some impressive projects on the drawing board, such as the 2,500-seat Dubai Opera House and the Louvre in Abu Dhabi.

The financial rewards and the extensive budgets available in this region must also be hugely appealing?

Sure they're factors, but in saying that, the primary consideration of any project is its budget. In most countries, we have to balance the interests and technical demands of a particular client with their budgetary constraints, and in most cases we have to come to a compromise.

Obviously, our preference is to work with clients who appreciate the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for' in terms of quality, and we generally find there are many of these types of clients in the Middle East, particularly in the GCC.

In practical terms, how different do you find working here compared to somewhere like the UK?

Many of the design teams based in the region consist of various nationalities with vast experience, which is a great thing, as it brings new ideas and perspectives of working to a specific project.

The budgets for many of these projects enable the client to recruit the very best talent available. While most of the buildings we work on are designed via auto-CAD, there are quite a few people involved in the process who are all pushing their respective agendas.

From our perspective, acoustic planning and interior design are the key priorities.

How did TPC get involved in the development of Emirates Palace's auditorium and conference facilities?

We came to the project after the initial construction phase had been completed. At the time, we were providing technical AV consultancy services to the Community Theatre in Abu Dhabi. We were subsequently recruited as technical consultants to the project, which at that time was known as the Conference Palace hotel. It was a hugely exciting project to be involved with, given its sheer scale.

The contractors had already completed the shell of the auditorium, so when we came to it, it resembled a large, hollow concrete sub-structure.

The height of the stage and its basic dimensions were fixed, so we had to work within these boundaries. Ultimately, the challenges we faced were similar to those we would deal with when refurbishing an old theatre. In saying that, we were able to provide input into the seating plan and the sightlines within the auditorium.

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