Sitting in Judgment: Selecting K-12 Auditorium Seating
By: Mark Ingalls

While it may be one of the last elements installed in your school’s auditorium, seating should not be an afterthought. An auditorium is a sizable investment that requires proper furnishings to maximize its utility for a variety of events.
 
The first decision is choosing between fixed and portable seating. Dedicated performance spaces usually feature fixed seats, while multi-purpose spaces require the flexibility of portable ones.

As the name indicates, fixed seats are permanently affixed to the floor and not meant to be moved. Portable models, often folding-style, are freestanding and can be easily reconfigured to suit changing needs. Ongoing improvements in portable models, including premium-quality cushions and fabrics, are often blurring the distinctions.

The best seating solution for your auditorium could even incorporate both types. For example, an auditorium with a proscenium stage but no orchestra pit may have several rows of portable seats in front that can be removed to provide additional space for pit musicians or even a stage extension.

Fixed Seating
“Fixed seats are standard for a traditional auditorium,” says Michelle Dudley, AIA, principal with Pfluger Associates Architects in Houston, Texas.
 
Dudley sees growing interest among their school clients for reusing or refurbishing existing fixed seating, such as art deco or other desirable historic styles.

“Architects recognize the value of preserving vintage seating,” explains Dudley. “However, it’s often more expensive to refurbish than replace seating, and owners generally believe that new seating will be nicer and more comfortable.”
 
New fixed seats can range in price from $150 to $400, depending on the style, fabric, and additional features including integrated tablet arm, aisle lighting, and technology hook-up. With sufficient lighting, tablet arms enable an auditorium to be used for lectures or administering tests. For economy and practicality, tablet arms are usually only installed on every second or third seat.
 
With the growing prominence of technology in education, fixed seats are now available with built-in power supply and data connectivity, so students no longer need rely on unreliable battery power or wireless signal. The $150 to $200 additional cost per seat is more easily justified in higher education, but Dudley sees some secondary auditoriums specifying this technology.
 
“Schools must balance aesthetics, comfort and damage control in seating decisions,” says Jason Duty, vice president with Charles M. Salter Associates, San Francisco. “If the auditorium also functions as a classroom, damage control will become more important and the seat cushion will more closely resemble an office chair.”

To provide more consistent acoustics between rehearsals in an empty auditorium and performances in a full one, fixed seats are available with perforated seat bottoms. When the seat pan is raised, the perforated bottom provides sound absorption that more closely approximates the acoustical effect of an occupied seat.
 
Duty says perforated seats are common for professional venues, less so for multi-purpose school auditoriums due to cost concerns. However, he recommends them for specific situations and adds that manufacturers are also designing innovative absorptive features beyond simply drilled holes in the bottom of the seat pan.
 
Another trend Duty sees is manufacturers incorporating floor-level HVAC airflow into the seat base, which offers several benefits. Dividing airflow among many individual locations reduces noise-producing velocity. Floor-level airflow offers LEED advantages by cooling the audience members more efficiently, allowing heat to naturally displace upwards and out of the building.

Portable Seating
Fundamental design aspects of new and renovated school buildings – impacting seating choices – are of course being driven by today’s economic realities, including budget deficits at national and state levels.

“Schools in our area are hamstrung by tight budgets, so multi-purpose venues like cafetoriums are more common than dedicated auditoriums,” explains Curtiss Doss, AIA, principal with McGehee Nicholson Burke Architects in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
Comfortable chairs will offer the most flexible portable seating, because their use will easily stretch across multiple events – and for longer periods of time.

“Metal folding chairs or poorly designed plastic ones quickly become uncomfortable, particularly for adults,” says Doss.

New portable chair models combine fold-up versatility with fixed-seat comfort. Designed for flat floors, they can be permanently installed later if necessary; prices range from $250 to $350. High-density, deluxe folding chairs offer more affordable comfort ($95 to $185) when budgets are limited. These chairs, often used as floor-level arena seating, also require significantly less storage space. The least expensive option is a multipurpose, stacking plastic chair, which costs $65 to $85.

Along with cafetoriums, black-box theaters are another multi-use space where portable chairs are typically used. Such theaters usually feature a riser system or other type of tiered platforms to support the seats.

For any temporary, flexible seating, Doss advises that fire codes usually require chairs to gang together because this provides more stability and safety in the event of an evacuation. 
 
At younger grade levels, flexible performance seating can take many forms. Pfluger’s design for a new K-5 elementary school serving 800 students in Houston includes a common space for each grade level, featuring a recessed area (20’ wide by 8’ deep) meant to function as a small, proscenium-style stage.
 
“We’re specifying portable, plastic platforms that can fold into seated risers, allowing students to sit and hear a presentation or concert,” comments Dudley, adding that the risers can also fold down to create a flat stage. “These platforms are very functional and flexible and provide an alternative learning environment, which teachers love.”

Whatever model seat you are considering – fixed or portable – first request a sample chair and inspect it thoroughly. Try it yourself for comfort and listen carefully as other people do. If there’s a seat-return mechanism, how loud or quiet is it? Remember that the slightest chair noise will be amplified in a large auditorium.

Most manufacturers subject their seats to independent testing following standards established by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA). These tests measure a seat’s strength and stability, while ensuring they can withstand heavy, repeated use. If the manufacturer doesn’t offer this test data, ask for it.

Clearly evaluating your seating needs and options will help you make a wise selection that is comfortable for your audience – and your budget – for years to come.

Mark Ingalls is a product manager with the Wenger Corporation, a manufacturer of equipment and furniture for music education and the performing arts, www.wengercorp.com.