A major concern was the outdated air
conditioning system that was completely reversed in the new design, with air
supplied from below the seats and exhausted up high in the space. In order to
feed the air from below, a new ceiling with a soundproofed plenum was installed
in the Cabaret Room below the theater. Besides the structural considerations,
necessary when cutting holes into an almost hundred-year old concrete slab, the
need for absolutely quiet air dictated the construction of a large plenum space
with soft lining and multiple layers of gypsum board in the space below. –Peter
Grueneisen. Photo: Taiyo Watanabe
