Our Work

The project definition and strategy

Shand Shelton's skills have proven in the area of strategy and planning of projects and often we are able to facilitate buy-in from the various stakeholder groups to pursue a collective vision. From the outset we collaborate to identify the vision, often assisting in defining it and providing an outline strategy for achieving the goal(s). The strategic plan can then be developed to meet those objectives.

• Feasibility
• Project Planning
• The Brief
• Financial Management
• Construction Contracts
• Fundraising Strategy
• Property Management

Feasibility

Many projects begin with feasibility Study or Business case, we can manage, coordinate input to ensure this study delivers the options, identifies the risks and variables necessary to enable informed decision making by the Client entity.

Project Planning

We will develop a project specific plan. There is no substitute for a fully developed project plan identifying tasks, timelines, risks, and resources. The plan is critical in ensuring all of the parties understand exactly what is expected of them.

The Brief

In consultation with our clients, we work with stakeholders and users to build confidence and trust and write the design brief if none exists. This will formally set stakeholders’ expectations, outcomes and detailed design requirements. We use our industry experience and knowledge from other projects to highlight the risks and identify the opportunities. The Brief provides the base against which the success of the project can be measured. Often projects require two briefs – a design brief and an operational brief, the later has proved very useful in avoiding rework and post completion problems. We offer a willingness to explore options throughout the design process; this is not extra, this is integral to our approach.

Financial Management

Our in-house quantity surveying experience ensures the most rigorous application of cost control principals throughout the life of the project. We have been able to assist our clients funded by government or institutional grant monies on numerous occasions to meet their audit responsibilities by recourse to our project monitoring and financial control and reporting systems. Many venue projects are compelled to go through a ‘value management exercise’ to reduce costs to bring projects in line with budgets. We do not see value management as an ‘exercise’ we see it as a philosophy. As such cost planning begins day one of the project and all consultants carry responsibility for adherence, not least ourselves.

Construction Contracts

We are familiar and have implemented construction using a variety of building contracts. Each project deserves an assessment of the best methodology to implement the works and we undertake to provide this. Independent of whether the contract is a traditional tender or by construction management we take a very hands-on role. We believe this is the only way to ensure there are no surprises and you the client get the very best outcome and risks are identified and managed. We favour partnership, not conflict, although we have a reputation for being fair but not to the point of compromising quality.

Fundraising Strategy

We have considerable experience in capital fundraising for projects and have assisted many clients in this area; we seek a clear grasp of client’s funding/fundraising imperatives and develop the strategy and plan accordingly. We have a number of Successful applications to key institutional funders to our credit thus enabling the projects to proceed.

Property Management

We have prepared for our clients a number of long term operational and ongoing maintenance plans with budgets, and managed or directly undertaken condition surveys as the basis of these plans. We have also reported on effective property management and control procedures including management of statutory compliance, including Building Act issues.

We offer a full range of services on a per project basis from a business plan through feasibility, land acquisitions, concept design, detailing and documentation to construction, right through to and beyond opening night. Some key examples integral to our design philosophies are:

Innovation And Research And Development

To lead in designing performing arts spaces requires a commitment to research and development with key industry partners. We pursue a programme that ensures we keep up to date with the latest developments internationally. In New Zealand we are testing innovative ways of introducing greater flexibility to performance spaces without compromising quality. We now use theatre technology in very innovative ways throughout venues. Examples include counterweight glazing and movable prosceniums.

Our Wider Industry Team

We question continuously throughout the design process and building programme to deliver value for money and fitness for purpose. For scope of works our projects deliver real value for money spent without compromise in design or functionality. For all our projects we implement reviews to ensure designs meet the brief and are rigorously tested. We endeavour to include in these reviews, wherever practical, representatives of the stakeholder groups or experienced operational contemporaries. For example; our venue projects are peer reviewed by representatives from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, and New Zealand International Festival of the Arts as well as production companies and entrepreneurs.

Sustainable Building And Environmental Responsibility

We are commitied to exploring and presenting all the reasonable options available to improve the environmental performance of buildings. Well before it became mandatory or fashionable Shand Shelton pursued a sustainable approach to the creative recycling of buildings. For example in 1997 we introduced passive cooling to the ventilation system in the St James, and later in the Hawke’s Bay Opera House project, we have recycled buildings that were consigned for demolition. Traditionally performing arts venues, largely because of their intermitient use, are not the easiest buildings to construct or operate sustainably. In our latest designs we are investigating the use of timber in lieu of a structural steel or concrete as primary structural elements. We are investigating for Marlborough’s Civic Theatre; automated sun control, thermal storage both for heating and cooling, photo voltaics, LED lighting and we have also considered energy transfers between buildings along with ETFE technology in lieu of glass to its thermal performance.

At Shand Shelton, we have a fundamental understanding of stage repertory and the often conflicting demands of the different performance genres. We design stage equipment that supports the performances, reconfigures the stage and auditorium for different types of events, and helps keep the workplace safe for performers and technicians. Not surprisingly, this equipment demands much from the building’s structural and mechanical systems, from stage machinery, rigging, lighting, sound and communications, to video, projection and adjustable acoustics. Some of the more technical considerations we make, which are fundimental to the practicality of the design are as follows:

Stage house design	Including special geometry, loading requirements, dance floors, pits, galleries, grids and lifting devices.
Rigging	Including suspension systems, counterweight theatrical flying systems, winches, automated flying systems and tension wire grids or tilt-up grids.
Flown Elements	Flown movable prosceniums, acoustic reflectors and sound shells, orchestra pit lifts, stage wagons and automation.
Theatrical lighting	Stage, front of house including theatrical electrics and house lighting controls.
Communications	Intercom talkback, DMX control, ethernet, back-of-house paging systems.
Sound	Audio infrastructure, hearing aid loops and sound systems, public address systems, digital signal processing.
Visual	Video projection, MATV systems, CCTV, video wayline infrastructure.
Drapes	House curtains, masking, cyclorama’s tabs, decorative drapes, gauzes, fibre optic curtains, acoustic drapes.
Data	Ethernet infrastructure, fibre optics.

At Shand Shelton, we take heritage registered buildings very seriously and the best way to prove this, is through one of our award winning projects; The Hawke’s Bay Opera House. The existing site comprised of two NZHPT Category One heritage buildings. The client’s initial aspirations were to have the Opera House restored internally and a full upgrade of the theatre services to stage and auditorium along with improvements to amenities and hospitality for patrons.

The Opera House façade was to remain pre-eminent as well as the art deco car showroom. The plaza and entrance new building works were the focus but they were not to be an architectural ‘set piece’ rather, it was the manipulation of three existing structures and utilizing precast concrete panels and columns to define space(s) to realise the maximum opportunity for which to interact informally and formally.

The progenitors of the form are Spanish Mission relating to enclosure and protection from the elements, coupled with references to palisade and colonnade. The old Victorian segregated entrance philosophy is negated by providing egalitarian access to all levels of the auditorium. Amenities and hospitality requirements in the new build areas frees up the original theatre for full restoration.

Restoration and refurbishment of the auditorium and front of house involved structural strengthening, a new orchestra pit, retearing of the dress circle and gallery and installation of new theatrical services throughout the stage house and auditorium. This involved carefully removing the heritage fabric affected and reinstalling it after services and strengthening had been installed. Artists were engaged to take the thematic artwork begun in the plaza through into the frescoed ceiling linking the auditorium to the entrance.