Paul Davenport Hall
The University of Western Ontario is justifiably proud of its Faculty of Music. Unfortunately, the faculty had no appropriate space to showcase its students. Let alone the National Youth Orchestra who used the same facilities in the summer.
Acoustically the solution for their existing venue was quite simple. Architecturally it was quite the opposite. The existing room needed to be at least 4 m higher. The result was a very difficult decision for the faculty and especially Dean Robert Wood. To get the extra 4 m meant they had to sacrifice all the classroom space above the theatre. The ceiling was removed and the concrete floor above it was blown away. All this done in the summer months and even sometimes when classes were in session.
None of this could have happened without the careful and talented guidance of architect John Nicholson.
