Toledo, Ohio-based SSOE Inc. has developed Alpha Technology -- for multi-purpose arenas (10,000 seating capacity) -- designed with the fan and patron in mind first. Ideal for universities/colleges, municipalities, etc.

TOLEDO, Ohio (PRWEB) December 29, 2003--It’s 500 B.C., and you are sitting in the Roman Coliseum.

Your heart pounds as anticipation builds and the long-awaited event draws near. Whether sitting in the back row or up front, you witness every clash, every step, every bow – with barely a turn of your head. Everything is in clear sight.

The lions’ roar or the lead actor’s speech is as clear as the cheers from your fellow audience members.

It’s the 21st Century, do you really get that same experience? Or, do you feel like you’re at a basketball game when you’re really about to hear your favorite band?

While both the performing arts and athletics are forms of entertainment, they mix like oil and water. Until now.

An architectural and engineering firm from Toledo, Ohio, has developed a solution that combines the design of ancient Greek and Roman amphitheaters with today’s building technology. The result is a true multi-purpose arena that will please fans and patrons alike.

“Today’s multi-purpose arenas are designed as an athletic venue first, then concerts, plays and speakers are forced to adapt,” explained Charles H. Stark III, AIA, one of the two inventors of Alpha Technology by SSOE, Inc. “Essential audience comforts like sightlines and acoustics suffer.”

“To enjoy a concert, audience members are usually forced to turn towards the music or watch it on a large screen. Acoustically, the sound reverberates so badly that you are better off listening to it on an eight-track tape,” Stark added. “The next morning, you wake up with a sore neck and a headache.”

What SSOE has done with its Alpha Technology is design small- and medium-size multi-purpose arenas (10,000 seating capacity) with the spectator in mind first. While each Alpha arena is custom designed to suit the needs of the owner – whether it is a university or municipality – they share common traits, including:

> Designed as a circle, rather than oblong, which improves sightlines. All events are designed to be at the center of the facility.
> Acoustical improvement systems, including ceiling panels to reflect sound to the audience, or deflect it away from the event. This helps keep backstage sound from interfering with a performance while enhancing sound from musicians, speakers, etc.
> Automated systems for smooth, quick transitions from sporting events to concert events and back.

“The ancient Greeks and Romans did not have the luxury of jumbotrons for their amphitheaters,” added Keith E. Riley, AIA, SSOE’s senior sports architect, and co-inventor of Alpha Technology. “Because of today’s sophisticated electronic technology, we’ve become lazy when it comes to arena design. The basic need to see and hear the action first-hand has been lost.

“Though Alpha Technology can’t guarantee who wins or the quality of performance, it does guarantee sports fans and patrons the best experience,” Riley added.