Sophisticated acoustic design, however, is but one element of an auditorium project. The demands on the architect are considerable. The strongly constrained nature of auditorium design means that the grand gesture is generally out of place. Several auditoria exist around the world where a major world-class architect has wanted to create a great public monument, but the architecture gets in the way of an effective functioning auditorium.
The ideal requires a good rapport between the architect and his major consultants, a willingness to develop a scheme within the design team, and for the architect to view the needs of other disciplines as a stimulus rather than an irritation.
But success reaps many rewards — by providing a venue to sustain the essential live performances in the arts, and frequently by rejuvenating the areas in cities around public performance spaces.