Performing Arts

Dance studios

AJA recently worked with a local dance company – The Workshop Studios – who offer a wide programme of dance training. The organisation needed expert advice in converting a disused Norwich warehouse into a dance studio complex. Upgrades Our input included baseline noise survey work and 3D modelling to predict the noise emissions from activity … Read more

The Great Hall

We recently visited Kent College Canterbury – an independent school dating from 1885. Founded by Wesleyan Methodists with an initial intake of just five pupils, the campus has grown to cover an impressive 70-acre semi-rural site. In 2016 a second school was opened in Dubai and there are future plans for a presence in Hong … Read more

Choosing AV Systems

Theatres, concert halls and school music departments all deserve the best possible AV design within available budgets. With a myriad of equipment available, it is difficult and time-consuming to find the right solution. Getting independent advice can result in a smoother ride for the project as well as savings down the line. At Adrian James … Read more

Residents and Festivals

King’s Lynn is a typical North Norfolk market town. For over 500 years the Tuesday Market Place has been its trading centre. This site also serves as a car park and for three weekends every year hosts the spectacular Festival Too music festival. Large crowds flock to the Market Place to hear a wide variety … Read more

Cinema City – a medieval gem

You may not expect to watch the latest Oscar-winning film in a medieval merchant’s house, but the success of Norwich’s Cinema City is a tribute to how the city keeps its history alive. The building known as Suckling House was named after the family who owned it in the sixteenth century. With some areas dating … Read more

St George’s Hall

St George’s Hall, Liverpool is a magnificent Grade I listed building dating from 1854. It stands next to a smaller Concert Room which was opened two years later. Located on Lime Street in the city centre, this area is part of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site. The Hall was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as one of … Read more

The Atrium, North Walsham

The Atrium is a government-funded “co-location” project to improve arts facilities for students during school hours, along with making these amenities available for use by the wider community at other times. The project transformed an existing site at North Walsham High School by adding a new space, including a 170-seat auditorium. This cinema / theatre … Read more

Into Opera

The inaugural Norfolk Into Opera Festival has recently taken place, and Adrian James Acoustics was delighted to be one of the festival’s sponsors. Three operatic performances and a gala concert were staged in the Octagon Barn, just a stone’s throw from the AJA office. For a few days, this remarkable venue was transformed into an … Read more

Two Awards for AJA

The Association of Noise Consultants has just announced its annual awards for the very best in the field of acoustics, and this year Adrian James Acoustics is delighted to have won two prestigious accolades. Manchester’s Crowne Plaza Hotel was the venue for the ceremony, rounding off a day devoted to conference meetings and presentations.  At the evening … Read more

Pipers Corner

Pipers Corner School for girls is nestled in a rural setting overlooking High Wycombe. When the decision was taken to build a new Performing Arts Centre, we were called in to provide both acoustic consultancy and as theatre consultants. The aim was to create a theatre, dance studio and rehearsal rooms as well as a … Read more

Awards Season on the horizon

Summer has officially arrived, so the awards season is upon us. On 6th June the Association of Noise Consultants will present its annual celebration of the best in the field of acoustics. Manchester’s Crowne Plaza Hotel will host the ceremony, with categories including Innovation, Good Acoustic Design and Workplace Acoustics. A number of international sponsors are supporting the event, such as Ecophon, Bruel & Kjaer and Armourcoat … Read more

AJA and Theatre Consultancy

Company director Adrian James was extensively involved in theatre and concert hall design even before he created Adrian James Acoustics in 1994. He had worked closely with leading theatre consultants in the UK, the Middle East and Hong Kong, as well as other auditoria such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House … Read more

The Roost recording studio

A great recording studio is an environment where sound can be captured as faithfully as possible.  When singer-songwriter and blues guitarist David Foster decided to create a studio in the grounds of his home, he called on Adrian James Acoustics as the natural choice for the project.  David’s vision was to set up a home … Read more

Wells Maltings

Wells Maltings is an impressive brick and flint building dating back to the mid-nineteenth century.  Set in the heart of Wells-next-the-Sea, it is one of nine former malt houses once employing 50 workers in the town. For many years The Maltings was used for community events, but in 2010 it was decided to completely renovate … Read more

Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg

The Mikhailovsky Theatre is a magnificent opera and ballet house in the heart of St Petersburg, first opened in 1833. The theatre’s programme is primarily a repertoire of opera and ballet by the resident companies but the theatre also stages concerts by the resident Mikhailovsky Orchestra and by visiting orchestras. As often happens in opera … Read more

The Norfolk & Norwich Festival Spiegeltent

May time is Festival time in Norwich, and once again the Adnams Spiegeltent came to town.  This unusual venue is part of a tradition stretching back over a hundred years, when large travelling tents would tour round Europe, acting as a home for cabaret and other entertainment.  The Norfolk & Norwich Festival revived the idea a … Read more

The Writers’ Centre at the Dragon Hall

Our Principal Acoustics & Theatre Consultant Ian Rees has worked on numerous projects, but the historic Dragon Hall, Norwich is particularly exciting.  This merchant’s hall dates from 1430 and is part of the “Norwich Twelve” – recognised as one of the city’s most important medieval buildings. Now a Writers’ Centre is being established at the … Read more

National Youth Choir at Greshams

We were delighted to hear that the National Youth Choir of Great Britain made good use of the new music school at Greshams, where they were resident for their Spring 2018 course.  Several AJA staff turned up for their final concert in the rather less acoustically distinguished St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich, with occasional accompaniment … Read more