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Author Topic: Help planning stadium seating? Jennifer Fieber Film Handler Posts: 26 From: Brooklyn, NY Registered: Sep 2003 posted 10-26-2004 01:48 PM                     The scrappy little non-profit theater (and film archive) I work for is planning to renovate it's large 200 + seat theater. I am hoping to convince the powers that be to install stadium seating so I need advice on what companies supply and install retrofit systems---I believe the scaffolding is all prefab at this point and easy to install. I'll need estimates before we can write up our grant proposals. If anyone has done this recently and has advice please post here or contact me off list if you prefer We're in NYC. Thanks! [ 10-26-2004, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: Brad Miller ]  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-26-2004 02:35 PM                        Are the sightlines in your current theatre unsatisfactory -- i.e., the heads of people in front of you block part of the screen? Or are you just trying to get more comfortable seats and more leg room? If you already have decent sightlines, your money might be better spent on top-of-the-line seats and increasing the row spacing to afford lots of leg room. I know stadium seating is "in" with audiences now, but a well designed sloped floor auditorium with quality seats and lots of leg room offer the same advantages, without the accessability/safety disadvantages.  |  IP: Logged Jennifer Fieber Film Handler Posts: 26 From: Brooklyn, NY Registered: Sep 2003 posted 10-26-2004 04:07 PM                     Right now the floor is not sloped at all so, yes sight lines are a problem. The theater is on the top floor of a very old building, so we can't exactly pour cement to make it sloped. I agree that stadium seating isn't as great as everyone thinks. We are just looking to rise each row to clear the row in front, but not an extreme angle as some theaters do.  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 10-26-2004 05:24 PM                     The cost of installing risers is certainly a prime issue. But seeing as you have no slope, stadium seating is probably the best option in your case, Jennifer. In my building, the front (non-stadium) rows have only a few inches of elevation change from front to back row. Maybe you could install the front rows on painted particle board that slopes according to your sightlines?  |  IP: Logged Andrew McCrea Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 645 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-26-2004 06:09 PM                        Hey Jen, I've come across this website before: http://www.sseseating.com/ A quote from the wesbite: "The SSE EPS Geofoam stadium seating system is the most economical tiered seating system on the market today Both SSE stadium seating systems can be installed and ready for concrete in less than 2 days per auditorium SSE stadium seating systems are designed to fit any theatre, lecture hall or auditorium configuration SSE stadium platform systems are equally adaptable to flat or sloped floor designs The SSE EPS Geofoam system can conform to virtually any platform design shape or configuration The SSE EPS Geofoam system possesses excellent acoustic properties minimizing any reverberation or sound transfer SSE stadium seating systems are equally appropriate for new construction or retrofit/renovation design applications The typical SSE stadium seating system is designed to be independent from the theatre or auditorium building structure All stadium seating platform components can be brought into the auditorium or movie theatre through an existing pedestrian door Each modular stadium seating platform component is designed to be easily be carried by two workman Because the SSE stadium seating system is installed late in the construction phase of the project, it enhances general contractor productivity and scheduling SSE stadium seating system installations require low-skill labor, the overall cost for installation and construction can be greatly reduced Either SSE System can be completely installed by the general contractor ready for finishing in less than 2 days per auditorium Installation of the SSE stadium seating system minimizes disruption to ongoing operations in adjacent auditoriums or theatres SSE stadium seating systems are completely prefabricated and delivered to the project site ready for installation by the general contractor SSE Steel stadium seating systems are considered to be a piece of equipment and eligible for accelerated depreciation (7 vs. 39 years) The SSE Steel stadium seating system is eligible for lease-purchase financing" I hope this helps!  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-26-2004 06:19 PM                    You can do a slope floor without pouring concrete unless building codes forbid it. It would be simple for an experienced carpenter to create what you need with wood construction.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-26-2004 08:19 PM                     Wood is ok but if built on a large scale not properly executed can get creaky and noisy over time as things loosen up a bit and the wood expands and contracts. I would reccomend hiring a Stadium Seating company that will come in and do the entire job for you from start to finish. Its a bit more expensive but well worth the extra expense and your down time will normally be shortened over useing someone with little or no experience. FYI: One of our larger customers has had an ongoing project to stadiumize all his theatres. He has found a good contractor in this area that specializes in just this sort of thing and has been doing this location by location. All have been styrofoam with concrete on top so far. The results have been pretty good so far and no big problems at all. I can get you in touch with our customer if you'd like to find out more but you'd have to e-mail me directly for that info. Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-26-2004 09:12 PM                     Jennifer, you are expected to read and fully understand the rules before you post here. The next time you post your email address on a thread, you will be deleted. The rules are linked at the top of every forum page. Click on it and read them before you post again.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-26-2004 09:48 PM                     There are several companies that have had good sucess useing prefab cast styrofoam modules wil ferro concrete poured over them to stadium retrofits I have no links to them but have been happy with several installs that have been done in them after the fact  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-26-2004 11:27 PM                     The Carmike 8 in Lawton is in the process of converting its auditoriums to stadium seating. The company doing the retrofit is using an aluminum extrusion frame work and then pouring concrete to build up the stadium risers. The risers don't take up all the floor space. The front 1/3 of the auditoriums will have seating on a traditional slope. A similar conversion is nearly complete in Shawnee. The slope of the stadium riser is not nearly as severe as you see in new theaters built for stadium seating. The average auditorium ceiling height is 18 feet at the back wall. A taller riser would interfere with projection. What are the averages for theaters designed for stadium seating, 30 feet or more? I think the end result of the retrofit will be pretty nice. I don't know how the stadium risers will affect audio quality, but I'm hopeful it will still be good since the speaker systems won't be driving any extra cubic airspace. However, on the downside, I have serious doubts the #4 screen will remain THX certified. Out of all the existing theaters Carmike has converted to stadium seating, I don't think they've carried over any THX certifications. I hope I'm wrong about that.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-27-2004 12:17 AM                     I vote against the stadium seats and for spending the money on nicer seats. Just because the floor is flat, it doesn't necessarily mean there are sightline problems. If the screen is placed well enough, people won't have to look through other peoples' heads to see it. Sometimes there are sightline problems. Sometimes there aren't. You have to move around the theater and check it out for yourself. If the layout of the seats is planned well enough, you can avoid some of the sightline problems that you might have had in the past when you place the new ones. I just hate stadium seating. It's a bitch to clean. It's a bitch to walk up and down the stairs 10 times a day when you work in the theater. It's a pain in the butt to get the sound system to work right. (If you don't place the speakers the right way.) It's a pain to get the projector to hit the screen the right way because of the angle. People in the back rows, up near the port window get in the way of the picture when they walk by. (Or they wave their hands to make shadow puppets.) Customers trip and fall up/down the stairs in the dark. Old, fat people don't like walking up and down stairs. It sucks for handicapped people. And... I think it looks just plain hokey... Sort of like the way old, classic cars look well-designed but late model cars look like plastic encrusted spaceships. Go for the flat floor plan and spend money on seats that people will like to sit in for two hours. How does your screen look? How about the speakers behind the screen? What about your amps & sound system? You could spend a modest/average amount of money to replace the seats and use the rest to get a better sound system... or projector, etc.  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-27-2004 02:34 AM                        As far as wooden riser construction goes, I've been in a number of "black box" performance theaters that have built stadium-type seating, framed with 2x4's & faced with plywood. Invariably they creak - the solution is to use only drywall screws & apply wood glue EVERYWHERE two wooden surfaces meet. The biggest problem though is that they resonate. Boom, boom, thump, people going up & down the risers or across the aisles; BOOM someone's dropped a purse or uncrossed his legs & put one foot heavily on the floor, etc. The resonance problem isn't just from the people moving around. Shows with sound reinforcement will make the closed wooden risers resonate like a big washtub bass. They'll make anything sound muddy. Some of your problem is likely going to be floor load, so pouring nice, non-resonant concrete in that room may not be practical or safe. That will put you back to wood or aluminum. Folks have pointed out drawbacks of stadium seating, not the least of which is if someone falls on a step, klutz, dark, age, infirmity or whatever to blame, here comes Mr. Liability. On the other hand, your situation may really be better suited to stadium-type seating than flat floor, especially if the screen is low.  |  IP: Logged Edward Jurich Master Film Handler Posts: 305 From: Las Vegas USA Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-27-2004 09:17 AM                     I believe there is a lightweight concrete that you can use on top of wood floors. I know that this type of concrete was used to pour over the studio floors of a radio station studio. But I have no idea what it's called. As a note however, people who come to the theater here (1949 vintage art deco) have commented that they "HATE" the stadium seating at AMC and love our sloped floor. More legroom between seats and no stairs to trip over. If you have room for risers then you have room to slope. Don't forget about folks in wheel chairs. You can stagger seat rows so you are looking between the people in front.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-27-2004 10:11 AM                     How about a tiered seating arrangement? That would give you a semi-stadium design. The newest venue at my college has a stadium seating plan. I freakin' hate it! It's a "back loader". People come in the doors, walk up to the edge of the stairs and teeter on the edge of the cliff, looking down, while they decide what to do. All the while, there are more people coming in behind them. They look like LEMMINGS! Not only that... But, when I'm prepping a show, I have to run up and down the stairs 20 times an hour to get from the stage to the FOH/Mix position. It's a true pain in the ass. PLUS, I have two trick knees. (From hauling stage weights.) After an hour or two, going up and down those steps gets painful! It sounds like a bowl of Rice Crispies! (Snap! Crackle! Pop!) At least, if you had a tiered design, you could make a compromise between two worlds.  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-27-2004 11:16 AM                     I too don't like the stadium seating. Mainly because any theatre I have been in, has had the high back chairs as well and the material being placed at the back of your head kills hearing the surrounds. And of course the liabilty issue is a biggy. I would think your insurance rate would sky rocket with stadium seating.  |  IP: Logged

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