LASN is a photographically oriented, professional journal featuring topics of concern and state-of-the-art projects designed or influenced by registered Landscape Architects.
Issue link: https://landscapearchitect.epubxp.com/i/807417
A primary greenway path slips through the park, serving as a connection to city greenways and parks north, south, east and west of this pivotal location. Amphitheater Structure The design of the amphitheater shell and its supporting facilities were greatly influenced by the site, historic Nashville and the city's esteemed place in country music. Those influences range from the extraordinary hatch poster graphics to the trusses on the bridge, and from the limestone masonry to the neon-lit bars. Our search for an architectural vocabulary that might resonate in the capital of country music concluded with a motif inspired by a much-loved guitar amplifier. Inspired by the lines and textures of a vintage 1962 Gretsch amp, the design pays tribute to the heritage of Nashville and its innumerable contributions to music throughout the decades. Music Venue and Experience Early in the design work the design team met with venue operators and consultants, and used the expertise from the amphitheater's own nationally acclaimed acoustician and theater planner to determine the required parameters for a world-class outdoor music venue fitting of Nashville's Music City brand. To equally accommodate acoustic and amplified music, Ascend Amphitheater provides a state-of-the-art electronic shell that allows for acoustic performance through small microphones over the orchestra to feed advanced digital signal processing and loudspeakers to create the same reflections an orchestra would hear from a physical hall. It is one of only a handful of outdoor electronic shells in the world. The amphitheater provides seating for approximately 6,800 made up of 2,200 removable chairs in the reserved seating sections near the stage, a lawn capacity of 4,500 and approximately 100 premium box seats between the reserved seating and lawn. There's a 400,000 gallon cistern under the amphitheater, whose water supply goes to irrigation needs. The seating bowl takes full advantage of the approximately 45-foott grade change over the site, each seat providing a very intimate concert experience and excellent sightlines with a maximum of 300 feet from the stage to the back of the seating area. 32 Landscape Architect and Specifier News