Johnstone Town Hall

Johnstone Town Hall is a brand new civic hub and community facility for the Renfrewshire town.

"As with many other areas of the building, the drive for the multipurpose theatre space was to make it as future proof as possible," says architect Steven Coulson of Holmes Miller.

The space needed to be suitable for theatre performances, wedding receptions, ceilidhs, and a host of possible other uses. Audience Systems provided a retractable system and chairs with a very high specification of finish. The 628CC seats offer audience comfort, with a high backrest and deep seat cushion.

The system specification includes tactile touches such as the velvety seat upholstery in vibrant opera red, and solid timber armrests and handrails. On the operational side, the chairs fold down automatically as the platforms close, speeding turnaround times, while the flexibility of the system is enhanced by the ability to close the front two rows to create a niche for an orchestra.

"From the client’s point of view, the ease and speed of turnaround is the real bonus," says Steven Coulson. "The client appreciates that with a little staff training, the room can be changed round in an hour, allowing them to put on a reception in the afternoon and a theatre performance in the evening."