We were asked to design a small stage at the District of Highlands that reflected the wooded landscapes and views while technically modifying the acoustics of the stage to be more musician friendly. We live and work in Highlands and can relate to playing music at gigs with small stages and bad acoustics from playing in bands back in school so were happy to help out. Highlands has many resident musicians, including some Highlands councilors who gave advice and helped us test out the acoustic design.

While at a star party at the Old Dominion Observatory one can see the sun setting over the district's rolling hills and its silhouetted fir trees. This image guided the conceptual design while the rest was all about diffusing and reflecting sound. With everyone working Pro Bono, there was no budget for acoustic analysis so we used what we had, the Musicians themselves.

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A drummer, base player, electric guitarist, acoustic guitarist, and a vocalist showed up and set up as they would for a typical gig. We moved sound panels and absorptive material around until he drummer and bass player were happy. The angles of the diffusion/absorption side walls were set by the guitarists while they played. The partial reflection/diffusion of the back wall was adjusted until the vocalist and acoustic player felt good about it.