Tackling an auditorium and fixed seating project?
Great! We’re here to help with your auditorium plan.
Whether you’re looking for dimensions for an auditorium seating plan and seat spacing or an introduction to auditorium layout, this guide will help get you started.
If it’s specifically seating layout specs you’re looking for, Theatre Solutions has also published a fixed seating layout guide featuring illustrations and examples, including building code considerations.
In this post, I’ll be providing you with information on seating arrangements, auditorium plan “form,” and then end with nine examples, complete with specifications that you can use for inspiration for your next project.
IBISWorld reports that the commercial construction building industry is a $170 billion one, increasing at a rate of 8.7% annually.
With numbers like that, there’s a good chance that a large number of auditoriums, lecture halls, and seating spaces will need to be built this year.
So if you’re tackling an auditorium plan for your next project, one of the first things to consider is your seating arrangement needs.
Consider Your Seating Arrangement
There are two basic seating layouts that you can consider…
Multiple Aisle
Or Continental
After that, consider the best “form” for your auditorium plan
Basically, form is the overall shape your theatre or auditorium will take, depending on what kind of relationship you want there to be between the spectators and the performers. It’s determined by the planned use of the space, and each “form” has various pros/cons depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
Here’s a quick summary, and then we’ll show you examples of auditorium plans using a few of these forms:
End Stage
This form typically doesn’t allow a close relationship between the audience and performers, but it’s great for lecture halls or film presentations.
Wide Fan
The wide fan layout is great for bringing viewers closer to the performers, but it limits usage to mostly speech-related activities.
3/4 Arena
This shape features a 180-270 degree angle of inclusion and is similar to an amphitheater. It can help improve the sightline and aural contact for the audience.
Arena Stage
Obviously a 360 degree layout, this allows more audience members to see more of the stage. However, it will make it so the performers or the on-stage presenters will be necessarily showing their backs to part of the audience at any given time.
Alright, now let’s see what some of these layout types look like in an actual auditorium plan.
9 auditorium plan examples with dimensions:
- Basic Theater Form – Wide Fan
- Quantity of Seats – 154
- Seating Area – 1930 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 12.4 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 4’ 0”
- Most Distant Seat – 35′-0″
- Stage Elevation – 12″
- Floor Design – Risers 12″
- Basic Theater Form – Wide Fan
- Quantity of Seats – 154
- Seating Area – 1930 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 12.4 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 4’ 0”
- Most Distant Seat – 35′-0″
- Stage Elevation – 12″
- Floor Design – Risers 12″
- Basic Theater Form – Wide Fan
- Quantity of Seats – 158
- Seating Area – 1191 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 7.5 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 3’ 3”
- Most Distant Seat – 37′-0″
- Stage Elevation – None
- Floor Design – Risers 15.5″
- Basic Theater Form – End Stage
- Quantity of Seats – 178
- Seating Area – 1304 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 7.3 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 3’ 0”
- Most Distant Seat – 45′-0″
- Stage Elevation – None
- Floor Design – Risers 12″
- Basic Theater Form – End Stage
- Quantity of Seats – 180
- Seating Area – 1218 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 6.8 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 2’ 8”
- Most Distant Seat – 50′-0″
- Stage Elevation – 1’-6″
- Floor Design – Iscidomal Slope 1 degree to 10 degrees
- Basic Theater Form – End Stage
- Quantity of Seats – 204
- Seating Area – 1744 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 8.5 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 3’ 8”
- Most Distant Seat – 45′-0″
- Stage Elevation – None
- Floor Design – Sloped 7.1 degrees
- Basic Theater Form – Wide Fan
- Quantity of Seats – 207
- Seating Area – 1428 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 6.9 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 3’ 4”
- Most Distant Seat – 40′-0″
- Stage Elevation – 2’-3″
- Floor Design – Sloped 8.6 degrees
- Basic Theater Form – Wide Fan
- Quantity of Seats – 208
- Seating Area – 1557 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 7.5 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 2’ 8”
- Most Distant Seat – 48′-0″
- Stage Elevation – 5″
- Floor Design – Risers 14″
- Basic Theater Form – Wide Fan
- Quantity of Seats – 208
- Seating Area – 1610 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 7.7 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 3’ – 0” / 3’ – 2”
- Most Distant Seat – 35′-0″
- Stage Elevation – 1’-9″
- Floor Design – Risers 12″
Basic Theater Form – End Stage
- Quantity of Seats – 224
- Seating Area – 1880 Sq. Ft.
- Space Per Seat – 7.4 Sq. Ft.
- Row Spacing – 2’ – 9”
- Most Distant Seat – 80′-0″
- Stage Elevation – None
- Floor Design – Sloped 7.1 degrees / Risers 13.25”
Time to Design
If you’re an architect, you probably already have your favorite design software. But if you’re new to this, I’d recommend checking out Capterra’s architectural software directory. You’ll find a list of over 60 pieces of software, along with reviews, ratings, and more.
As auditorium seating specialists, we recommend that you also consult a team of experts who can answer some of your questions, educate you further, and point you in the right direction. There are theatre design consultant agencies, along with designers/manufacturers like us who should be able to help you get started on the right track.
New to Auditorium Planning? 5 Next Steps…
If you’ve got no experience designing an auditorium space and you’re asking, “What are the basic next steps to take?” I’ll leave you with a quote from Mario Pimenta, who is competent in architecture and well versed in auditorium layouts:
- Figure out the desired capacity of the room—how many seats are required?
- Assign a generic space requirement for each seat—this varies—but ten square feet per chair would probably be adequate for most layouts. This will allow for a general idea of the size of the room.
- Consult local egress codes to determine the required number/locations of exits, aisle locations and clear width, and back-to-back row spacing.
- Determine what fire codes are in effect. In almost every case the seating—as well as the materials used in an assembly space—must comply with certain fire codes.
- Finally, sightline studies should be conducted and these studies along with compliance of egress codes will, to a great extent, determine the seating layout. During the planning stage it is critical to seek the assistance of a local licensed architect and, depending on the size and complexity of the room, consultation with a theater consultant may be appropriate.
More?
Have you tried to design an auditorium? Did you have any major takeaways from this piece? Let us know in the comments below!
The post 9 Auditorium Plan Templates To Inspire Your Next Project appeared first on Capterra Blog.
from Construction Management – Capterra Blog http://blog.capterra.com/9-auditorium-plan-templates-to-inspire-your-next-project/
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