Kresge Auditorium
(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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Location:
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MIT
48 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
Massachusetts
USA
coordinates:
42.3580704 -71.0950165
Building names(s): Kresge Auditorium
Architect/Designer:
Eero Saarinen
architect website:
Other Information:
Completion date: 1995
Function: auditorium
structure: thin-shell structure, one-eighth of a sphere rising to a height of 50 feet, and sliced away by sheer glass walls so that it comes to earth on only three points. Thin shelled concrete technology was innovative for the times. The dome weighs only 1200 tons and is clad with copper. Sitting on a circular brick platform.facilities: concert hall (with seating for 1226 people), theater (seating 204), two rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, offices, bathrooms, and lounges.
Last update: 18 August, 2010 | Suggested By LT
(5 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)
Every seat in concert hall has an unobstructed view since there are no interior supports for the overarching dome. Working with renowned acoustical architects Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Saarinen employed free-hanging acoustic “clouds” that absorb and direct sound, instead of a traditional plaster ceiling. These clouds also contained lights, loudspeakers, and ventilation.
While standing on either side of the entry lobby, one can distinctly hear people on the other side speaking in as low a voice as a whisper.