The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

San Diego Symphony

Project Details

ROLE
General Contractor

CONTRACT AMOUNT
$63 Million

OWNER
San Diego Symphony

LOCATION
San Diego, CA

ARCHITECT
Tucker Sadler Architects

SIZE
10.8 acres

COMPLETION
2021

Project Description

The San Diego Symphony’s exciting new venue is a redevelopment of Embarcadero Marina Park South where the seasonal Bayside Summer Nights is held. A unique shape on the waterfront will now catch the eyes and ears of park visitors and boaters on the San Diego Bay.

The new Bayside Performance Park houses a 13,000sf performance stage, called the Shell, with a state-of-the-art acoustic sound system along with supporting facilities, including food pavilions and an additional 66 restrooms. Other improvements include a sloped seating area for easier stage viewing, added parking stalls, and other extensive renovations to the existing 10.8-acre park.

This park improvement project enhances the Symphony's musical presentations by replacing the temporary performance and event venue with a permanent architecturally remarkable and acoustically superior stage. The project also transforms the park it into a year-round community gathering space.

Project Highlights

  • 13,000sf of covered stage performance space and back-of-house facilities.
  • Bay viewing deck at the back of the performance stage for public use during non-event hours.
  • Temporary seating with lawns open to the public during non-event periods.
  • Event seating capacity up to 10,000.
  • New public restrooms.
  • Widened public promenades that will remain open to the public.
  • Environmentally sustainable landscaping.
  • Expanded parking.

Scope of Work

Rudolph and Sletten was contracted by the San Diego Symphony to perform full construction services for this project, which sits seven feet above sea level within the Embarcadero Marina Park South. Sitework involved grading the entire 10.8-acre site, managing the soil onsite, then removing approximately 6,000 cubic yards of excess soil; reconfiguring the existing parking area to include ADA-compliant parking stalls; replacing the existing round-about; refurbishing the basketball court and gazebo; installing 12 new workout stations; installing new drinking water fountains; replacing light fixtures; and installing new grass.

Sitework additionally entailed pouring new sidewalks up to the revetment boulders that surround the north side of the manmade jetty of land; installing LED pathway light bollards along the sidewalk for the entire jetty; installing 265 auger piles 40 feet deep into the bedrock formation underneath the four main structures; and coordinating the installation of three main underground systems engineered for permeability, including a modular wetland system, two bioswales and a sewer lift station system.

The scope of work also included the assembly and erection of the giant tensile fabric and steel structure housing the main performance stage and adjoining dressing rooms, private restrooms, chef’s kitchen and production/storage areas; rigging coordination of the acoustically engineered stage; construction of two new food pavilions housing two stand-alone gourmet kitchens for three different restaurants; construction of the box office; construction of poured-in-place white architectural concrete retaining walls; and installation of white seeded concrete stairs and pathways.

It also involved the buildout of four men’s and women’s restrooms with 64 stalls, six gender-neutral restrooms, storage areas, and offices underneath the viewing area; fabrication and erection of two video towers and six light towers; installation of translucent panels with vinyl graphics; installation of the artificial turf and concrete stairs on the expansive viewing area; and coordination and installation of all finish elements such as metal screens, benches, donor plaques, and signage.