Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center at Hudson Valley Shakespeare

After 39 years performing under a seasonal tent, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare company finally has a permanent home: the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center, an open-air performance space covered by a dramatic mass-timber roof. We provided structural design services to Studio Gang Architects for the 475-seat venue, as well as pavilions for support spaces such as rehearsal studios, teaching areas, offices, concessions, and other public amenities.

Based on the fluid shape of a bird’s wing, the roof curves gently over the 6,800-square-foot theater, supported on A-frame columns. Our engineers worked closely with the architect, theater consultants, and timber supplier Art Massif to design a glue-laminated wood (glulam) structure that maximized efficiency while incorporating the complex array of theater equipment and catwalks. This unconventional application pushed the boundaries of mass timber design and is informing our approach to the next generation of timber projects.

Why Mass Timber? 

The vision for the new theater was guided by a deep commitment to sustainability and nature. The 98-acre property, formerly a golf course, is being restored and rewilded. To help the center reach its goal of LEED Platinum certification, mass timber – a rapidly renewable material with low embodied carbon – made sense. And timber supports the project’s biophilic design goals. The warmth and tactility of the exposed wood harmonize with the views of the Hudson River, Storm King Mountain, and Breakneck Ridge that are framed by stage’s proscenium arch. The result is a space where the architecture, surrounding landscape, and performances are tightly intertwined.

Collaboration Informs Mass Timber Strategy 

The sweeping multidirectional curves of the roof posed a significant engineering challenge: in a typical grid shell, each node would need a unique connection, adding significant complexity and cost. We worked closely with the Art Massif to refine the design concept into an efficient system of long-span glulam girders with short-span purlins. The theater’s steel catwalk was integrated into the structural system, doing double duty as a tension tie. This approach realized the grid-shell form while reducing the amount of material needed and greatly simplifying fabrication and connection detailing. 

Because the fabricator could ship glulam elements of only up to certain lengths, we had to determine splice locations that satisfied both transport limitations and structural performance while still allowing efficient erection of the long-span girders over the full width of the theater.

Putting a curved roof on a hilltop also demanded special wind and structural analysis. A wind-tunnel study provided node-by-node pressure data. We analyzed more than 50 wind-load combinations in our structural model, studying how various wind directions and magnitudes affected both structural response and potential acoustic issues.