St. Peter’s Church Manchester, United Kingdom

Reducing the room sound to heard the rehearsals better

The Hallé Orchestra acquired a deconsecrated and disused 1859 church for its new permanent dedicated rehearsal space.
Whilst functionally attractive, St. Peter’s Church was too reverberant to be a good sounding orchestral rehearsal hall: any improvement treatments had to protect the fabric of the Grade II* listed building.

Seating: 200
Location: Hallé St Peter's, Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, United Kingdom
Client: Hallé Orchestra, Manchester, UK.
Architects: MBLA Architects

14th December 2015

By juan.caraballo

Author

juan.caraballo

Posted

14th December 2015

St. Peter's Church Conception

To minimise the visual intrusion of providing the acoustic solution of a sound reflecting surface level with the ceiling of the aisles, AMPC proposed with Sound Space Design a series of equilateral triangular sound sails over the nave. This not only reduced the reverberation of the space but also offered glimpses to the decorative ceiling above.

St. Peter's Church Gestation

AMPC responsibilities lay with the integration of the house lighting and sound sails. With local architects, Avery Associates, (now Buttress), AMPC developed the geometry of the sails in line with the ceiling level of the aisles and the house lighting.

The sails provided visual associations with fabric and thread, previously made in this area of Manchester to create the visual identity of the space.

St. Peter's Church Birth

“The Hallé Orchestra has a light, airy and beautiful space, perfect for rehearsing, performing, teaching and recording.” BBC news.

The Manchester International Festival (MIF) held a memorable performance of Hamlet there, requiring several tonnes of earth to be used in the setting.

Hallé’s award-winning Education and Outreach Programme connects and focusses on the local community.

Activities, shows & life of the project

The second phase of the development which includes practice rooms and offices is being planned thereby increasing its footprint and the range of events and activities that can be accommodated within the Hallé St Peter’s facility.