Northshore Performing Arts Center

Northshore Performing Arts Center

Northshore Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of Northshore High School in Bothell, Washington and serves as a regional theatre for the high school and the community. It seats 595 and was designed by Dykeman architects. Michael R. Yantis Associates were the acoustic consultants.

I started pushing the height of multi-purpose theatres in the late 1990’s when I realized the challenge of supporting music performances. It was relatively easy to create spaces with good acoustics for speech, but music tended to be one-dimensional. Although this is fine for amplified, modern music, spaces that house concert bands, orchestras and large choirs must create complex reflections from many directions and at various arrival times, to enhance traditional or classical music.

The Northshore PAC’s height from the stage to the underside of the ceiling is 42 feet, about 5 to 10 feet taller than would be required for traditional clearance to theatrical catwalks for lighting. The additional height reduced the strength of overhead reflections and allowed the more subtle but necessary reflections from the side walls to be emphasized.