Q Theatre
1Q Theatre is a new performance arts venue on Auckland’s Queen Street, immediately next to the Town Hall. It’s a vibrant venue, hosting a huge range of entertainers—a focal point for performance theatre in Auckland and New Zealand. The project combines a restored heritage building with a new build theatre, creating a venue that holds an important place in the city’s cultural landscape. Holmes Consulting was brought in to bring this ambitious redevelopment to life.
2The main auditorium of the theatre accommodates up to 450 people in varying seating configurations, from traditional ‘end stage’ to ‘theatre in the round’, and many other formats. The design needed to extremely flexible, so the theatre can be readily adapted to achieve the different seating configurations—including a section of moveable seating gallery. Ultimately, this was a structural design that needed to support, and add to, the atmosphere of the theatre.
3Throughout the design stage, our expert engineers took care to ensure the precious heritage features of the old part of the building were preserved, and aligned with the new parts of the building. The new auditorium used a combination of steel and concrete construction techniques including long span roof trusses, concrete bracing walls and a unique precast panel cladding system. This approach provided the robust, resilient structure, as well as ensuring the performance space is compelling for both performers and audiences. If you’re lucky enough to visit the Q Theatre, take a look at the structure during intermission!
