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 The auditorium in May 2009 | |
 Interactive map of Badminton Theater | |
| Former names | Goudi Olympic Hall (2004) |
|---|---|
| Location | Goudi,Athens,Greece |
| Coordinates | 37°59′10″N23°46′29″E / 37.9861°N 23.7747°E /37.9861; 23.7747 |
| Owner | ABCD |
| Capacity |
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| Construction | |
| Built | 2004 (as Olympic venue) |
| Opened | 2007 (2007) |
| Renovated | 2006–2007 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
TheBadminton Theater (Greek:Θέατρο Badminton) is a venue utilized for the staging of medium- and large-scalemultiplex events. Situated inside the metropolitan park of Goudi inAthens,Greece, the theater was originally designed to host concerts, plays, dance performances andmusicals. As of 2012, conferences, meetings, presentations and corporate events are also held at the venue due to the construction of additional facilities.[1]
The venue was initially built as part ofGoudi Olympic Complex and used for the sport ofBadminton during the2004 Olympic Games, opening immediately before the games.[2] As the venue became further established, the facility was made available for leasing,[3][4][5] with the management utilizing apublic tender process, and "Athens Badminton Cultural Development S.A." (ABCD) outbid. ABCD acquired the premises for a 20-year timeframe, and subsequently embarked on radical reform and development of the property.
The building was eventually converted into a versatile facility, suitable for medium- and large-scale events.[6] The remodeling work began in the summer of 2006 and was completed in 2007, with investment exceeding 16 millioneuros. The post-industrial style of the exterior and the venue's large open spaces were the only things that remained intact. The interior was entirely rebuilt to create a modernauditorium, capable of seating 2,430 people, surrounded by foyers and halls.
The Badminton Theater has been used in several major international theater, dance and television productions and conferences.
The main areas of Badminton Theater are:
The Badminton Theater Auditorium is the largest of its kind in Greece. The stage is 30-meter wide, with a depth of 18 meters, while the ceiling height is 15.5 meters, and is equipped with a programming console (Vatalpha Type) that is capable of changing the scenery appearance in a matter of seconds. For conferences and corporate events, the stage accommodates panels of speakers and presentations, with a central podium also available to guests. The image viewer can also be used to convert the scene into a viewing area. High quality projectors are employed for the lighting of the area; lighting equipment includes 200-inchdimmers, a "Congo ETC" lighting console, and fiveLED panels for displays and the projection of subtitles.
The ergonomic design of the theater provides unobstructed visibility and, for events that require a greater immediacy for a smaller audience, a mobile partition can be employed.
Theacoustics of the venue are capable of an average reverberation time of less than 1.1 secondsaudio in the room is evenly distributed to within ± 2decibels (db) from point-to-point and the central console is a digital 96-channel "MIDAS XL 8".[7] The acoustic design of the theater was completed by Theodore Timagenis, an acoustic design consultancy firm founded in 1975.[8]
The foyer consists of two multi-use areas that collectively occupy more than 1,500 square meters (sq. m.) of space.
The Upper Foyer, the main reception area for visitors, consists of banners with an internal lighting mechanism and flat screens for the viewing of video material. The Upper Foyer also overlooks Army Park and is illuminated by natural lighting. This main reception area is connected to the lower level by two open stairwells and anelevator. The Lower Foyer connects with the lower tier of the amphitheater and consists of allocated smoking rooms.
The Hallway is the main reception area for visitors. The most common uses for the receipt of tickets, registering participants and screened. In this area there are 8 service counters, hung flat screenTFT panels and illuminated system (banners), buffer flow control for the increased attendance and lift for the disabled. In March 2012, Badminton Theater implemented an electronicbarcode check-in system.
Apart from the aforementioned areas, Badminton Theater features additional infrastructure, serving the diverse needs of individual events, including:
The Badminton Theater is located inside the area of the metropolitan park ofGoudi, at the junction ofMesogeion andKatechaki/Kanelopoulou Avenues (Goudi area), with easy access from"Katehaki" Metro station (Line 3) and bus lines.[9][10]
The outdoor space around the complex can host more than 800 vehicles, or more than 70 buses, through the entrances fromMesogeion Avenue (Former Police Academy) andKatechaki/Kanellopoulou Avenue.
| 20th century |  | |
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| 21st century | ||
