New York Globe Theater

New York, USA

Fosters and Barbara Romer saw the defunct Castle Williams, a stone fortress built in 1811, and now in a state of advanced disrepair, as another Globe Theatre (which they, indeed, intended to call The New Globe Theatre).

Since Governor's Island's former residents, The Coast Guard, decamped in 1997, and the land was turned over by the federal government to state ownership in 2003, the National Park Service has been searching for a new use for the 172-acre plot of land, which lies in New York Harbor, south of Manhattan and just east of the Brooklyn shore.

The New Globe would have celebrated the New World and New York and housed an American theatrical company and school.

Arup was in charge of the acoustic design and Sebastien Jouan was the main acoustic designer working alongside project manager Ian Knowles and project director Richard Cowell. He also provided auralisations of the London Globe Theatre and proposals of the New York Globe Theatre. SoundLab demonstrations were made to Barbara Romer and David Nelson from Fosters.  

Client : Barbara Romer

Architects: Foster and Partners

Acoustic Design: Arup

Role : Acoustic Designer

Year : 2004-05