Project
Summary

Culver City Unified School District wanted a modified “Chamber Theatre” or “Theatre-in-the-Round” to accommodate a larger audience yet maintain the intimate communication between actor and audience. It was built to seat 1,319 people with no seat being more than 50 feet from the stage. The stage, like the auditorium, is designed in an arc, in effect a modified theatre stage in the round. The main portion of this auditorium consists of a thin, arched and fan-shaped shell of reinforced concrete 4” in thickness. Each of the eleven fan-shaped segments was cast (one upon the other on the ground) of lightweight concrete. After curing, each segment was lifted into place with the use of mobile cranes. The segments taper upward from a width of 32 feet at the ground to 4 feet at the central dome. The thrust arm was formed in place and was shaped and proportioned to balance the dead load of the fan segments. There are no supporting members from out to out for a total span of 240 feet.