Vahdat Hall

Vahdat hall is one of Iran’s most equipped and spacious opera, ballet, music, and musical theater hall, com­missioned by the former ministry of culture and art was built over 10 years by YugitaAftandelianc based on the Vienna Opera Hall sample, and is named after the great Iranian poet and musician Abu Abdullah Roudaki. The hall was opened in 1967.

Building Vahdat Hall started in year 1957 in Doctor Arfa’ street (now Shahriar) and in November 1967 it was opened after 10 years with the best interior designing and unique light and sound machinery equipment.

Roudaki foundation building con­sisted of two halls ran under the names Roudaki Hall and Small Hall, after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the larger hall simultaneous with Vahdat (soli­darity) week and birthday celebra­tion of Islam prophet was changed, to Vahdat Hall and the smaller hall WaS changed to Roudaki Hall. After the Islamic Revolution these mostly host music concerts and theatrical per­formances.

Vahdat Hall two halls are around 15700 square meters and the total area of building with 7 floors and basements is up to 21000 square meters. This Hall consists of one ground floor and 3 balconies the form of horseshoe which has the seating capacity of 700 people. This building has 2 basements (Scene electromotor and light magnet and related powers are located there), concert hall-including the scene and audience hall in ground floor- and ad­ministrative building.

Validat Hall Scene

I — Avant-scene

Avant-scene or the front scene has the standard 80 centimeters height and a main curve with the diameter of 15 meters and in its widest position (entrance or the very lighting gaps to the right and left of avantscene) is 14.30 meters. Avant-scene depth from the center of the curve to the beginning of the main scene is (P1) 6.67 meters.

On the avantscene surface is locat­ed orchestra stage with 12.93 meter long and 3.10 meter depth in sides and 3.93 meter depth in curve center. Or­chestra stage is the place of big con­certs for performing opera, ballet, and musical theater which can go down to the deep ground by 2.30 meter. Thisoperation is for hiding the orches­tra group and musicians’ equipment during the mentioned performances. The musician groups have special note holders equipped with small fo­cused lights. These focused lights act as small study lamps and their glow does not damage the opera or ballet and or musical professional lighting. Orchestra stage is controlled by me­chanical systems, gears and powerful electro motors through electronic sys­tems and by specialists of machinery groups. All the mentioned machinery is made in Germany.

The control system of all machinery utilities that we will refer to are in the first floor. All of the movable stages of Vahdat Hall have powerful metal structure outer surface and coating of 4 centimeter wooden dry chips.

2- Main stage of Vahdat Hall with 12 meters width and 10.30 meters depth have 3 moving stage systems that are known as podium 1 ( P1 ), podium 2 (P2 ) podium 3 ( P3 ) . P1 and P2 with
equal dimension of 12 X 4 meters and

P3 with dimension of 12 X 2/30 me­ters in total, form a surface with the size of 120 square meters. Each of the 3 podiums together or separatelycan move in 4 different speeds by 1.65 meter in depth and 4.60 meters to the top. P1 and P2 can separately or together make a 30 degree ramp to­ward the audience. This quality (the rammed staged) can happen only once and that is manually before the begin­ning of stage assembly; in this case there will not be the possibility of performing any of the machinery op­erations.

P1 and P2 each have 48 square me­ters area that with a distance of 1 me­ter from every side, cover the mid­dle surface with an area of 30 square meters. This surface is formed of 30 wooden pieces of one square meter in size that in every show only once can take one actor or an object weighting maximum 150 kilograms to the stage depth (under stage) by a single central (make invisible) elevator that takes the place of one of these 30 pieces, or make the desired subject visible.

Behind the main stage of Vahdat Hall is the rotating stage system with 12 meters width and 10.30 meters depth and the stage rotator with a 10-me­ter diameter is located in the center of this stage. The rotating stage can turn to the left and right in different speeds, the main scene of the rotating stage can be in its main location (be­hind the main scene) or be replaced in the main stage location. Scene spinner can rotate simultaneously with mov­ing to the main scene location. Stage spinner can be driven to the front up to the brink of P2 or P 1 .

Also around the rotating stage with the size of 2 meters is the place of scarfing up the vertical valans, hid­ing the cast traffic and other factors. Around the main scene and scene spinner in right side are 4 doors and in the left side there are 3 doors which open to make up and clothing rooms and from left side it is connected to technical rooms .

In case of need the movable stage un­der the rotating stage can be brought up in order not to let the space unFler the stage be lower than scene surface.

Two sided decors can be used on the rotating stage diameter. Simultaneous with the theater shows or any other programs, rotation of scene or decor changing will be possible. The best usage of rotating scene is the assem­bly of giant decors on rotating stage and replacing them with other giantand assembled decors on left wagons
that can happen in less than 2 minutes.

4 — Late:al stage (Wagons)

On the left side from the audience point of view there are two lateral wagon systems on rolling rails with dimensions of 4 meters in width, 12 meters in length and 33 centimeters height. The wagons can tolerate giant decors with a weight of over two tons and transfer it into the main scene to P1 and P2.

In the case of replacing with the main scene by transferring to — 33 centimeter ground level, it will be in same level as main stage. Lateral stage wagons are able to enter the main scene separately or together and with any length. The main frame of wagons is metal and they have wood­en covers.

5 Assembly and repair workshop

Assembly and repair workshop is lo­cated beside the lateral stages, which is connected to the outdoor for dis­charging and loading decors through a sliding steel door with a dimension of 4 X 5 meters. There are enough space for vertical and horizontal cut­ting machineries and multi-function devices and also room for putting at

least few show decors in this sec­tion. Some platforms and pods with various dimensions and heights of 16,33,60,80,120 centimeters in black matte color and moving stairs of 16 centimeters height and various sizes have been made. These structures are utilized in assembling and creating decors of multilevel surfaces.

Lifters systems of the maehinen

Vahdat Hall has two main display screen curtains which one is 1.5 me­ters farther than another and hides up in the ending of the stage corner. Vahdat Hall has two fireproof and full acoustic curtain systems; the main steel curtain separates audience hall from stage portal preventing the two separated sections from fire penetra­tion. Steel curtains are made of vari­ous acoustic and isolating layers and foreclose passing of any kind, of au- dio frequency from the both sides of the steel curtain. There is a possibil­ity of voice leaking from backstage to the audience while changing the heavy decors. The figure of Simorgh (phoenix) and Zal (Rostam’s father) is designed and painted by Kazemi on the steel curtain. The size of the steel curtain is 10 X 13 meters and movesby powerful electro-motors and bal­ance weight.

The second steel curtain is embed­ded in the left side from audience point of view between lateral wagons, decor workshop and main scene. This curtain has all the efficacy of main steel curtain.

There are two electrical lifting sys­tems in the left and two systems in the right of the main scene with the names of left Panoramas 1, 2 and right Panorama 1, 2 in line with white or black panorama curtain lateral lifters and or lateral decors. Lifting systems in Vahdat Hall have been made for lifting and hiding overhead decors.

Some of the lifting systems are elec­trically powered and some are bal­anced manually. Lifters machinery system of Vahdat Hall has 10 electric lifting devices that from the begin­ning of P1 up to the end of P3 with an approximate distance of 80 centim­eters are known with names of El to E10 and each one of them can move a decor weighting 150 kilograms.

In intervals between these systems there are two manually balanced lifting systems which by the balancing ropes are lead in right side of main scene from audience point of view. Two electric panorama systems (cy­clorama) are located at the end of the main scene that are formed approxi­mately like an arc at the end of the supports for displaying spherical sky.

Lifters machinery system are con­nected and lead by pulleys and quintet tows and supporting pipes to the ceil­ing and steel spherical structure with an approximate height of 27 meters . This system can hide decors with 15 meters height in the stage ceiling. Proscenium crown ( scene frame /por­tal — opening ) which the lighting lo­cation is behind it, electrically forms from a 1 to 9.15 meter height seen from the third balcony audience point of view and decors height . There is also a light bridge in the center of the main scene and halogen lighting and, light cyclorama curtain from opposite side. Lighting projectors can b’ein­stalled on the electric lifter systems as well. There are some balancing lifter systems on the rotating stage. Due to limits of the ceiling over the rotating scene, these systems can’t hide decors or curtains. On lateral stages (wagons) also are some lifter systems.

Regarding the year it was built, Vahdat Hall machinery system is one of the best and most equipped systems in Middle East and Asia.

lighting system or Vahdat Hail

Lighting system of Vahdat Hall is manufactured by the ADB Company of Belgium and is under license in Ger­many. It consists of 120 5-kilowatt and 120 2.5-kilowatt circuits, which are divided by special steel couplings in various sections of audience hall. Vahdat Hall light table is of ABD ten­or kind with digital memory of DM X 512 having paramount 24 meters and the related master timer and flash memory that is located in the com­manding room and at the end of the audience hall in the ground floor next to the previous lighting system from the opening until now. Vahdat Hall optical circuits are located in the fol­lowing order in lighting sources sup­porting sections and are exploitable, Please note that circuit 1 to 120 have the power of 5 kilowatt and 120 to 240 have the power of 2.5 kilo watts. 1 – Kuppel

Circuits 1 through 8 are in Kuppel section. Projectors with brand nameP.spot and DM205 and ADB 2000 w and with an approximate radiation angle up to scene center (47 degree) are in this section. Kuppel is locat­ed at the center of ceiling scene and in the inner opening of the audience hall circular chandeliers. Lights glow from this section of chandeliers inner circular to the scene. Radiant energy loss with an approximate range of 17 meters is 5% and glow angle at the top of avantscene is about 65 degrees.

Circuits 9 through 22 are in the cabin sections. Cabin includes sup­port space of lighting sources with a 35 degrees angle as to the main hall scene, in the middle end of audience hall and upper section of stall. Technology used in this section is the Rob­erto Joliet and ADB projectors with a power of 2000 watts.

Right and left Rines at the sides of the avantscene are designed and available in four floors gaps in the form of diagonal and with 25 to 80 degrees angles as to the scene center. The numbers of the right rine circuits in order from the first floor to fourth are: 30 -31-32-33-34- 131-132-133-134-135-136-137-138-139. Left rine numbers from audience view are as follows: 25 -26-27-28 — 29 — 121- up to 130. Various kinds of ADB pro­jectors, 2000 watt, 100 watt and also ROV (RishFogol) projectors and hydrolets of 500 and 100 watts are em­bedded.

A noteworthy discussion about the number and various projectors is in­creasing and even changing of all kinds of them in different sections. The mentioned sections so for (Cabin, Kuppel, and Rines) are in a dou­ble division in space of audience hall (F.O.H) and are outside of curtains. This division is due to avoiding any contact with the curtains in the case of simultaneous lightening at seetion F.O.H when there is performing si­multaneous with curtains opening.

Brueke station is located in three floors where six rows of light sources are behind Prosinium crown (portable) which is guided downward as high as a meter to stage floor and circuits numbers 141 to 174 are in this lighting section. And projectors. Their power is 200 and 1000 watts and their type is , or. Angles of these light sources

based on portable height are ranging from 50 to 90 degrees.

• Turms

Left and right turms behind pro­scenium are designed in three floors and with different and projectors (Reich & Fugger) with powers of 1000 and 2000 watts .Diagonal angels rang­ing from 30 degree to 80 which reach to the center stage as features of these lights. Number of right turm circuits range from 190 to 202 and also no. 53. Number of left turm circuits 176 to 189 and also no. 54.

The rang most from important fea­tures of lighting in Vahdat Hall is its ease of access to lighting resources ,vast and appropriate spaces and easy access during setting of the light of projector. In 1996 system and number of projectors in Vahdat Hall was in­creased and , projectors with 2000 and 1000 watts and different kinds, of Haligen and nine lamp Joriteis with 4500 power and last technology of was purchased for Vahdat Hall

• Versatz

Versatz circuits on the floor stage in the left and right sides for basic earth projectors are designed based on the features of each display. Numbers ofright and left Versatz are 77 to 94 and are placed in the double form parallel to second Prosinium wall and also on the floor of the right and left stages after they put Podiums. Angles of ba­sic projectors on the floor of the stage are ranging from 10 to 30 degree base on the height of projector legs.

7 – Versatz Gallery

On the top left and right sides of the main stage two wide coat walk sys­tems as right and left galleries have several optic circuits which are acces­sible via the stage elevator

8 – Left and right rear versatz gallery

This part is located at the back of wall and at the beginning of the sec­ond frames Prosinium second and at the beginning of the stage rotator. Number of rear gallery circuits is par­allel to versatz of floor and floor of stage rotator is parallel to earth ver­satz.

9- Optical bridges

First moving optical bridge has 50 Haligen circuit (Halogen) for colored lights of Cyclorama curtains which are designed based on front side and cir­cuits number 204 and 205 are located on them . Second stable optical bridge is at the beginning of the Prosinium

wall and second crown which is locat­ed at the top of the beginning of the stage rotator from the audience. Cir­cuits of second optical bridge range from 207 to 213. The second bridge was built in1998.

10 – Rear gallery (Projection)

Rear gallery was formed in two floors. First floor includes all spe­cial projectors for effects and lighting slides lighting (rain, snow, moving clouds, fire, slides and etc.) with the numbers from 117 to 120, 107, 108, 109 and 110. On the second floor, 25 Haligen machine (plateau) with five colors (green, turquoise, blue, red and yellow) are responsible for color lighting from back to the cur­tain. Numbers 112 -116 are circuits of these projectors.

Audio System Facilities of Vahdat:Hall

Nowadays Vahdat Hall has qnebfi the best and most advanced audio sys­tems in the world that on 2010/3/13 was installed and calibrated by rep­resentative of Meyer Company. Two main clusters provide the voice in the hall and each array includes 12 speak­ers and 2 sub-woofers. Hall voice is provided by 3000 Watt in arrays plus 7000 Watt in sub sections. To coverblind spots which cannot be covered by the main clusters, 8 smaller speak­ers in the balconies and also 6 small front full speakers are used. For on screen monitoring 8 monitors are used including two monitors with 1275 Watt and 6 monitors with 550 Watt .All parts of this system is controlled by Galileo processor machine.

Controlling room has a PM50 Yama­ha Mixer with 48 input lines, stereo in 4, fartn 4, 8 effects, and GER12 which is considered as the best kind of Live Micros .Two CD player sets and two recorders also are used in the room. Vahdat hall has the best and most ho­mogeneous voice in the hall and it has the most various kinds at the best mi­crophone.

Imaging facilities of Vahdat hall

Imaging facilities of Vahdat hall also includes possibility of video re­cording with 3 cameras and projectors and it’s playing back which has cov­ered many different programs.

There is possibility of video playing from the front of the stage by pro­jectors and playing videos by DVD player.

blind spots which cannot be covered by the main clusters, 8 smaller speak­ers in the balconies and also 6 small front full speakers are used. For on screen monitoring 8 monitors are used including two monitors with 1275 Watt and 6 monitors with 550 Watt .All parts of this system is controlled by Galileo processor machine.

Controlling room has a PM50 Yama­ha Mixer with 48 input lines, stereo in 4, fartn 4, 8 effects, and GER12 which is considered as the best kind of Live Micros .Two CD player sets and two recorders also are used in the room. Vahdat hall has the best and most ho­mogeneous voice in the hall and it has the most various kinds at the best mi­crophone.

Imaging facilities of Vahdat hall

Imaging facilities of Vahdat hall also includes possibility of video re­cording with 3 cameras and projectors and it’s playing back which has cov­ered many different programs.

There is possibility of video playing from the front of the stage by pro­jectors and playing videos by DVD player.

But Vahdat Hall has the capability of playing back the image of a rotating stage at the end of scene. Also there exist the imaging facility using three cameras and simultaneous witching of images in the Vahdat Hall.

Curtains used for playing back the image include a cinema curtain that is installed on the rod 1 with a mov­ing cyclotron which is capable of dis­placement from rod 1 to 10. It also includes a final displaying curtain which is usually installed on the rod 10.

Imaging is done with three installed Sony BRC — 300 PTZ cameras and also with switching of images by the uncast system.

This cabin has ten amplifiers with a total power of 100 watts that in the case at necessity translated programs, lectures and other speeches in; five languages which will be broadcast by 50 wireless phones used by foreign ers.

Electro-stick device works on six different frequencies that include an input frequency (main tab) and 5 out­put frequency (translated languages).

Curtains beside the Hall scene with length of 12 m are always hung at theedge of stage. These curtains called “alley” while making the stage more beautiful and covering the rear part of the hall can be used for entrance and exit of actors.

Stage is equipped with alarm system in case of fire; one of them is auto­matic thermostat system that automat­ically alarms as soon as temperature goes higher than the allowed limita­tion that with 70 alarms has been in­stalled in various parts .The other one is a push button alarm system which is a finger-touch alarm. Around the stage there are some rooms for stage engineers, soloists, makeup and other required parts.

Vahdat’s main hail

Main hall includes ground floor and three balconies with 20 special cabins in two east and west sides which have a special place in the first balcony and second balcony with total capacity of over 700 audiences. Exterior view of balconies is in a semi circle shape which is embellished from within as Achaemedian congress style. In the ground floor four entrances on each side of the hall provide possibility of entry and exit for guests.

This Hall consists of three rows of the balcony for spectators with the front part of each of being orna­mented in a half circle Iranian plaster style. It has 63 crystal wall lights in three rows in the body of one of the floors with a huge chandelier supply­ing lighting. Hall entrance doors are in the western and the eastern sides in 4 directions.

Orchestra station in Vahdat Hall is in the form of a semicircle bulging to the audience. This section is located in front of stage and when it is neces­sary or when the orchestra should not be seen, the floor goes down up to 2.5 meters.

Interior design of the Hall and its decoration beautifully includes the convex honeycombed ceiling with a huge crystal chandelier of seven me­ters diameter covered with an invis­ible net. The chandelier at the height of 19 meters and in the center of the hall ceiling gives a special beauty to the Hall.

Vahdat Hall Floors

In the first floor of the Hall there is a station with a special corridor and door leading to the resting hall. Rest­ing hall is located in the eastern part with special stairs and corridors that leads it to the outside. Stairs are made of black marble with bronze fence and the walls have been tored and mirror-worked with Persepolis plaster style. Resting hall with dimensions of 7/ 5 in 10 meters and walls are covered with original gold white Golabaton fabric which is covered with Iranian design. Beautiful chandeliers adorned the ceiling.

South wall is made of ceramic and Hall ceiling is covered by plaster and mirror and 11 large chandeliers sup­ply the light of waiting hall.

In two sides of the special station there are two rows of loges for spec­tators with capacity of 162 spectators. Two rows of loges in the second floor of the balcony have the capacity of 43 spectators and the VIP loge has the capacity of 40 spectators.

Floors behind stage

Behind the stage there is a seven stories building that on its third floor Roudaki Hall exists with capacity of 200 people being constructed for training orchestra and music perform­ances.

All related floors have been built for artists, offices and essential de­partments.

The basements is in two floors, in­cluding orchestra resting room, air conditioning center, heating pack­age, transformers, magnetic ampli­fier device for setting projector light, communication center, stage power center, warehouse and other required locations.

Hall ground floor includes entrance doors, waiting hall, changing rooms, toilets, stairs, the ticket selling box, light and sound control cabin, audi­ence hall, orchestra station and stage.

10 entrance doors in the northern side of the Hall are directed toward Arfa Street. These doors are totally in the form of double doors and are made of glass.

Exterior view of Vahdat Hall is: also covered with Travertine andAlwari stones. !

South wall of waiting hall in the ground floor which is in the form of a semicircle with 17 meter width and height of 2 / 40 m is built in a very beautiful and artistic way with inno­vative designs which is covered with ceramics.

Waiting hall ground floor is 5 / 75 meters high and its ceiling is cov­ered by plaster and mirror work that 8 branches of dark crystal chandelier provide the Hall lightening. Hall floor is covered with marble stone and stairs in two sides are covered with woven carpet. Three box offices are also on the southeastern side of this hall lo­cated opposite the entrance doors.

Vahdat Hall collection with such a coordination which is briefly ex­plained here is among the 10 top and rare collections in the world located and is rarely found in the Middle East.

Side salons of Vahdat Hall for art exhibitions and special performances have remarkable capacity.

Since the establishment of Vahdat Hall Complex, it has hosted many out­standing national and international art events and it has witnessed the attend­ance of celebrated men from Iran and all over the world on different fields of music and theatre.

On the other hands, Vahdat Hall Complex is considered as the most splendid halls in the country to estab­lish different performances, inaugura­tion and close ceremonies.