Indian Hills High School

Oakland, New Jersey

Firm

Di Cara Rubino Architects

Client

Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District Board of Education

Area

7,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$1,225,000

Completion Date

04/2006

The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District desired a high-end renovation of its 1970s-style auditorium. The existing auditorium was outdated, worn out and strictly utilitarian in nature, offering few modern amenities to complement the school’s cutting-edge educational curriculum.
The architect transformed the 7,000-square-foot space into a contemporary and sophisticated performance theater.
To stay within budget, designers chose to work with the existing furniture and oversaw the refurbishment of each of the 726 auditorium chairs, rather than purchase new seating. The former primary-color rainbow configuration was replaced with elegant navy tone-on-tone checkerboard upholstery, a matte powder-coat finish on the chair structure, and classic wood arms. Additionally, the obsolete lighting and sound systems were replaced with high-performance, state-of-the-art digital systems.
Special attention was given to correcting and upgrading the acoustics of the room through use of a decorative wood-grain laminate panel system for optimum sound deflection. Crisp and stylish interior design features include rich metallic paint and large-scale brushed stainless wall sconces to complete the transformation.