PROJECT FEATURE: UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY FOR FLEXIBLE SPACE

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Eastside Preparatory School, a 500-seat state-of-the-art multipurpose theater is a venue for students to take part in various activities, classes and exhibitions. TALI Hall—short for “Think, Act, Lead, Innovate”—aims to be a learning environment where students can thrive academically, creatively and collectively.

A SPACE THAT CAN GROW WITH THE STUDENTS

In order to use the new theater as a multipurpose learning space, Eastside Prep needed the flexibility to acoustically separate the opening of an upper balcony from a theater down below without losing the balcony as extra seating during stage performances. Moreover, TALI Hall needed to be a space that could easily adapt to the school’s progressive curriculum of art-based programs, such as choir, visual arts, photography and filmmaking.

CREATING MULTIPURPOSES LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

In their quest to find a flexible space option, Public47 Architects first considered a traditional horizontal operable partition, but it was quickly ruled out; there just wasn’t enough room on the balcony for the closet that would store the panels. Local supplier, Interior Technology, also pointed out that a traditional operable partition would be unsafe for people to operate manually as the partition would be installed at the very edge of the balcony’s opening. With these factors in mind, Jeff Boone, partner at Public47, knew that Skyfold—with its overhead storage and automated operation—was the right solution.

With a Skyfold Classic™ wall, Public47 and Interior Technology were able to provide Eastside Prep School with a smart and safe flex space. When the wall is in the down position, the balcony space can be used as a classroom, meeting room or as an activity space while events or other classes are going on below. During performances in the theater, the school also has the option to raise the Skyfold wall to provide additional seating.

FUNCTIONAL DESIGN

The whiteboard finish on the balcony side of the separation allows for the Skyfold wall to be used as a teaching tool, in addition to a visual and acoustic barrier. Skyfold’s standard Dune 4505 Darkness fabric was applied to side of the wall facing the stage to match the black fixed walls framing the mezzanine.