The Badminton Theater (Greek: Θέατρο Badminton) is a venue utilized for the staging of medium- and large-scale multiplex events. Situated inside the metropolitan park of Goudi in Athens, Greece, the theater was originally designed to host concerts, plays, dance performances and musicals. As of 2012, conferences, meetings, presentations and corporate events are also held at the venue due to the construction of additional facilities.[1]
History and architectural transformation
Pre-Transformation
The venue was initially built as part of Goudi Olympic Complex and used for the sport of Badminton during the 2004 Olympic Games, opening immediately before the games.[2] As the venue became further established, the facility was made available for leasing,[3][4][5] with the management utilizing a public tender process, and "Athens Badminton Cultural Development S.A." (ABCD) outbid. ABCD acquired the premises for a 20-year timeframe, and subsequently embarked on radical reform and development of the property.
Reconstruction
The building was eventually converted into a versatile facility, suitable for medium- and large-scale events.[6] The remodeling work began in the summer of 2006 and was completed in 2007, with investment exceeding 16 million euros. The post-industrial style of the exterior and the venue's large open spaces were the only things that remained intact. The interior was entirely rebuilt to create a modern auditorium, capable of seating 2,430 people, surrounded by foyers and halls.
The Badminton Theater has been used in several major international theater, dance and television productions and conferences.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
The Theater
Badminton Theater Auditorium
The main areas of Badminton Theater are:
The Auditorium
Amphitheater of Badminton
The Badminton Theater Auditorium is the largest of its kind in Greece. The stage is 30-meter wide, with a depth of 18 meters, while the ceiling height is 15.5 meters, and is equipped with a programming console (Vatalpha Type) that is capable of changing the scenery appearance in a matter of seconds. For conferences and corporate events, the stage accommodates panels of speakers and presentations, with a central podium also available to guests. The image viewer can also be used to convert the scene into a viewing area. High quality projectors are employed for the lighting of the area; lighting equipment includes 200-inch dimmers, a "Congo ETC" lighting console, and five LED panels for displays and the projection of subtitles.
The ergonomic design of the theater provides unobstructed visibility and, for events that require a greater immediacy for a smaller audience, a mobile partition can be employed.
The acoustics of the venue are capable of an average reverberation time of less than 1.1 seconds audio in the room is evenly distributed to within ± 2 decibels (db) from point-to-point and the central console is a digital 96-channel "MIDAS XL 8".[7] The acoustic design of the theater was completed by Theodore Timagenis, an acoustic design consultancy firm founded in 1975.[8]
The Foyer
Foyer.Lower Tier.
The foyer consists of two multi-use areas that collectively occupy more than 1,500 square meters (sq. m.) of space.
The Upper Foyer, the main reception area for visitors, consists of banners with an internal lighting mechanism and flat screens for the viewing of video material. The Upper Foyer also overlooks Army Park and is illuminated by natural lighting. This main reception area is connected to the lower level by two open stairwells and an elevator. The Lower Foyer connects with the lower tier of the amphitheater and consists of allocated smoking rooms.
The Hallway
Hallway.
The Hallway is the main reception area for visitors. The most common uses for the receipt of tickets, registering participants and screened. In this area there are 8 service counters, hung flat screen TFT panels and illuminated system (banners), buffer flow control for the increased attendance and lift for the disabled. In March 2012, Badminton Theater implemented an electronic barcode check-in system.
Additional Support Infrastructure
Apart from the aforementioned areas, Badminton Theater features additional infrastructure, serving the diverse needs of individual events, including:
The outdoor space around the complex can host more than 800 vehicles, or more than 70 buses, through the entrances from Mesogeion Avenue (Former Police Academy) and Katechaki/Kanellopoulou Avenue.
^Staff (2012). "The Theater". Badminton Theater. Badminton. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
^Kissoudi, Penelope (2010). "Kissoudi, P. 2010. Athens' Post-Olympic Aspirations and the Extent of their Realization". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 27 (16–18): 2780–2797. doi:10.1080/09523367.2010.508269.
^Tatsiopoulos, Ilias & Tziralis, Georgios (2008). "New, Post-Olympic Athens"(PDF). National Technical University of Athens. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
^Staff (2012). "Building for the performing arts". Timagenis, Architects – Acoustics Design Consultants. Theodore Timagenis, Architects – Acoustics Design Consultants. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
