Dancing with Sound: Sadler's Wells East

10/03/25

Vangelis Koufoudakis, Senior Acoustic Consultant, Charcoalblue

March 2025, Bristol

The opening of Sadler’s Wells East was a momentous occasion—not only marking the culmination of a long process but also coinciding with my 10-year anniversary at Charcoalblue. More importantly, it stands as a testament to the architectural integrity we aspire to as acousticians. This remarkable building, both in design and construction, embodies an acoustic sophistication so seamless that it becomes as invisible as sound itself.

Acoustics is often relegated to the realm of the “dark arts,” an enigmatic discipline whose influence is felt but not always seen. This perception arises because our work extends beyond physics into the phenomenology of user experience, comfort, and well-being. Yet, at its core, our discipline is grounded in practicality—addressing operational challenges, enhancing communication, and improving functionality. It can be frustrating to hear acoustics described as mystical when, in reality, it’s a science of tangible principles. “There’s nothing to hide—it’s all physics!” I often exclaim. However, the challenge lies not just in the physics but in communicating our expertise effectively. Our input must be understood by everyone—from clients and architects to contractors—so it can be implemented correctly. Discussing the perception of sound and how it shapes our experience of space remains a difficult task.

A famous phrase asserts that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” though its origin remains uncertain. But if this is true, we must ask: Is talking about acoustics equally akin to dancing about architecture?

Architects bear a formidable responsibility—leading the design team, realizing their creative vision, and striking a delicate balance between artistic expression and engineering performance. With many specialist consultants contributing their expertise, acoustics can sometimes be perceived as an afterthought—an element to be “added in at the end.”

Fortunately, Sadler’s Wells approached this project with a deep sensitivity to sound, and our design team collaborators were highly experienced in arts and cultural projects. Even so, our early involvement focused on education—particularly in highlighting the sound separation challenges of a densely programmed building centered around rhythmic movement. The notion that “this is very much an acoustic building” was championed early on, a sentiment masterfully communicated by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey throughout the design and construction process.

As acoustic consultants, we provide a specialized perspective on the built environment, but our work is deeply integrated with other disciplines. We establish structural stiffness and weight criteria, coordinate with façade engineers to mitigate external noise, and advise services engineers on equipment placement, air delivery, and vibration control. Our collaboration with Buro Happold was strengthened by our weekly day-long workshops during the design phase—a luxury of the pre-pandemic process that fostered mutual comprehension of all specialist disciplines.

Sadler’s Wells East is a masterclass in how a complex, multi-dimensional project can be executed with elegance and functionality. The building houses acoustically demanding spaces, including:

Three medium-sized dance studios (12m x 14m)

Two large-sized dance studios (14m x 16m)

The flagship Studio 1 (18m x 21m)

A 550-seat flexible dance theatre

An 8m x 8m community dance stage in the front-of-house space

All these spaces are subject to significant floor impact from rhythmic dance movement, which can excite structural resonances. Given the constrained urban footprint, the challenge was to vertically stack high-activity spaces while maintaining the necessary sound isolation.

Rather than relying on conventional box-in-box construction, Sadler’s Wells East required a tailored approach. The solution was structural separation—a series of strategically designed “box-next-to-box” and “box-on-top-of-box” configurations:

The main theatre is fully independent from its surroundings, featuring a 100mm-wide gap between it and the front-of-house structure housing the dance studios.

Each studio incorporates a 100mm-deep jacked-up slab—a floating concrete floor system that isolates vibration from adjacent spaces.

Studio 1, the crown jewel of the dance studios, is an entirely self-contained structure perched atop the main theatre. It rests on mega-trusses supported by 100mm-thick, pre-compressed natural rubber bearings, ensuring complete acoustic separation.

The public areas are equally well designed. The foyers strike a delicate balance between sound absorption and liveliness—comfortable when sparsely occupied and never overwhelming at peak capacity before a show.

As with any ambitious project, the journey was not entirely linear. Budget constraints and a global pandemic posed hurdles, yet the original vision remained intact. Our expertise enabled a highly functional, vertically arranged building that achieves simplicity and elegance while ensuring that the acoustic design goes unnoticed—exactly as intended.

We think Sadler’s Wells East does inspire dancing about architecture—and maybe even talking about acoustics.

P.S. The quote “writing about music is like dancing about architecture” is often attributed to musician, comedian, and actor Martin Mull (best known as Colonel Mustard in Clue). Coincidentally, his father, Harold Mull, was an acoustic engineer. A fitting connection, don’t you think?

Dancing with Sound: Sadler's Wells East

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