Its neoclassical trappings belie the contemporary design solutions required to harmoniously blend form and function at the $118-million, 1,600-seat Palladium Center for Performing Arts, the heart of a new arts and cultural district in Carmel, Ind.
Although the configuration of its classically rendered domed roof is at odds with acoustical requirements for concert halls, project team members resolved the issue by locating ribbings around the dome's circumference, thereby dispersing sound rather than focusing it on patrons directly below.