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CHORAL RISER AND PERFORMANCE STAGE FOR THE MONUMENTAL THEATRE IN MADRID, DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED BY GUIL
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

GUIL was the company chosen to carry out the design, manufacture and installation of the mobile tiered stage and the orchestra performance stage of the Monumental Theatre of Madrid, a national heritage building, which is the home of the Symphonic Orchestra of the RTVE (Spanish Television Radio Corporation) since 1970.

It was a very ambitious and specific project in which 8 tiers with different heights and measurements were assembled. The whole construction had to be built into a limited area where very little free space was left over; for this reason, modules of very special dimensions were required, manufactured and completely made-to-measure by GUIL.

The hard part of this project was finding a manufacturer whose products met all safety standards and, at the same time offered the possibility to customise them to the millimetre: 8 tier levels, special handrails, custom made stairs with 12 steps, leg braces, stage skirting with flame retardant fabric, conductor’s platforms, completely customised music stands and microphone stands and special ergonomic orchestra chairs.

GUIL used its TM440 platform model for this project, of both standard and special dimensions. TM440 stage decks are certified for a load capacity of 1200 kg / m2 under the German standard DIN 15921 Entertainment Technology of 2015; having been tested with a load of 4680 kg per 2x1m module.

The decks are made of reinforced extruded aluminium profiles and a 21 mm thick, 100% Birch wood, phenolic plywood panel, of the WISA® brand from the Finnish manufacturer UPM Plywood Oy, with fire resistance according to classification: Bfl – s1 (standard DIN EN 13501-1).

The 21 mm thick panel, with non-slip finish, is composed of 15 layers glued with weather and water resistant phenolic resin (WBP). It is subjected to flame retardant and water repellent treatments and has sealed edges preventing moisture penetration. These characteristics guarantee the highest strength and durability.

GUIL is a company that is very aware of environmental protection and that is why it only works with panels that have FSC and PEFC certificates (seals), which guarantee that the wood comes from sustainable forestry.

The project required different platform heights and that these could also be altered depending on the event, so GUIL used its telescopic legs with RARB system, which give the possibility of obtaining multiple heights, adjustable millimetre by millimetre.

The depth of the platforms of each level wasn’t a standard size, which meant that the handrails required were also designed and made entirely to measure, as well as the leg bracing and other accessories.

An essential part of this project was to be able to adapt the seating for the musicians to the platforms, since the space was so limited that standard musician chairs could not be used. The objective was to guarantee the comfort and ergonomic requirements of the musicians during events and GUIL achieved this by designing and manufacturing custom-built benches with a completely ergonomic design.

The reduced space on the platforms also meant that standard music stands and microphone stands could not be used in this project either, so special ones were manufactured. GUIL developed an ingenious design so that these accessories can be fixed to the multifunctional profile of the platform, removing the need for the base of the music stands and the mic. stands that usually take up a lot of space on the platforms. For the areas of the platforms where this solution was not viable, GUIL manufactured these stands with heights of up to two meters! In this way the surface of the stage was left totally free of accessories, giving more room for the musicians of the symphony orchestra.

The platforms, as well as the rest of the components of the risers and stage: stairs, handrails, connectors, stage accessories, etc., are all fully certified, therefore they more than met the requirements of the project, at the same time meeting the necessary requirements set by national standards regarding strength, accessibility, ergonomics and fire resistance.

This structure, although initially designed and manufactured to be used exclusively in the Monumental Theatre in Madrid, has subsequently become a touring set-up, after expanding it with additional special stage modules to be used in other theatres and auditoriums.

For GUIL, it was an honour that an institution such as the Spanish Government selected them from all the national and international candidates. And they achieved this thanks to the quality that all its manufactured products are renowned for: “Thanks to the maximum load capacity of our platforms, the ease of configuring the stage to be completely tailored to the client’s needs, the durability of our products and the certificates attained… we were proudly selected as the ideal company to carry out this project”.

The project manager of the Monumental Theatre congratulated GUIL for the quality of the products received, for their execution in the set-up and for the unbeatable end result.

GUIL is a manufacturer that offers the possibility of producing and realising special bespoke projects. It was with great pride that they have contributed to the remodelling of the Monumental Theatre in Madrid, which was designed and built between 1922 and 1923 by the architect Teodoro Anasagasti.