The acoustic shell of the Plaza de La Fe in Managua, Nicaragua.

Abstract

The Plaza de La Fe, the Plaza to the Faith, of Pope John Paul II, in Managua, Nicaragua, is the site of many celebrations for the people of Nicaragua. At one end of the plaza, a performance, acoustic shell was constructed as a focus for performances in the plaza. The acoustic shell has a very large capacity, for full orchestra and choir, at a minimum. It supports multiple band setups on the same stage depending on the celebration requirements. The shell is used for all types of performances and presentations, be they multiband, dance, classical music, or speech. In spite of significant concavity of the overall design, the shell elements were also molded to provide directional sound reflections both to the plaza and to the performers on the stage. This presentation will show the progress of the project from design, through construction. The acoustic shell was inaugurated with an attendance of over 100,000 in Jan. 2005.