United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
FDA was asked to provide theatre consulting services to Pei, Cobb, Freed for both the 414-seat and 178-seat auditoriums in the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
A key challenge was to fit functional halls within a hexagon-shaped space dictated by the form of the upstairs Hall of Remembrance designed by the architect.
Both theatre spaces have sound systems for film and video, live microphones, playback of taped programs, and projection booths to accommodate a wide range of film and slide formats, lectures, film and video, and chamber music recitals.
Dressing rooms are provided for performers and lecturers at stage level, facilitating handicapped performer access. These auditoriums still, after 15 years, exceed in quality and capability most, if not all, museum lecture halls in the United States.