Plywood Bandshell and Stage

We were asked to build a plywood bandshell and stage to host panels of speakers for the Future of Everything festival at Spring Studios. We started from a rendering and worked together with the designers to develop a 1/16 sale model made of laser cut acrylic. We tweaked the files based on that, then started cutting the pieces out of 1” plywood.

1/6” scale clear acrylic prototype

Once we had a scaled prototype we knew fit together and was structurally sound, we scaled up our files and started cutting the pieces from 4’x8’ sheets of 1” plywood on our CNC router - which added some assembly challenges that were not present during the prototyping phase. We programmed enough tolerance in the CNC joints that the pieces would fit together snugly without binding.

Gael hammering in a plywood “rib” to a vertical support to a pressure fit CNC joint

We built the structure in 6 modular pieces that would travel separately and be assembled on site. Each side piece that would bolt together during installation was made from 1/2” plywood to maintain the visual appearance of a 1” edge all around.

Nate and Tara bolting together the base pieces

Fully assembled bandshell (minus the fascia) in our shop

The top pieces are smaller and lighter than the base sections, so the installation could be completed on ladders without the need for scaffoldings or scissor lifts.

Mid-installation

We also built a plywood stage with a matching finish and registration marks to place our base pieces. This provided a stable and level surface to anchor the bandshell using aluminum L brackets.

Eddie, Greg and Jaime securing the upper right section

Each level was clamped in place to allow for adjustment, then bolted together with brass hardware.

Gael, Eddie and Nate installing the fascia

Once each piece was secured, we installed a plywood face which completed the look and provided extra bracing to connect each piece. We installed a veneer over those pieces to cover our screw heads. We also tied in 1/8” safety cables on 2 points for extra peace of mind.

Finished Bandshell in Spring Studios

The final product was used as a backdrop for speaking events at the WSJ Future of Everything festival in 2022.