A reimagined Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow opened on July 9th to much fanfare! The new facility replaces the much-loved original which was destroyed by fire in November 2020. Opening night was filled with excitement and emotion, and included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, outstanding performances from talented artists, and a post-performance dance party. Altieri Principal, Rob Louth, PE, who designed the low voltage systems, attended the event and enjoyed sharing the night with the members of the design team.
The state-of-the-art theatre has doubled in size from the original and now seats up to 400 people. New forms of technology have been incorporated, as experienced in the opening-night performance with motion capture being used to connect a dancer in “The Duke” to one in the Ted Shawn Theatre across the way for a simultaneous performance. Significantly, the wood used to construct the mass timber building was carefully chosen and has a three-hour fire retardant rating.
I recently had the pleasure of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow – an Altieri project I worked on over the last four years. The project was one of the first Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) theatre projects I have worked on. Attention to detail and coordination between the trades was essential to ensure that systems integration prioritized the aesthetic of the wood structure.
Rob Louth, PE, RCDD, CTS, ECSE
