Control room, movie mix stage and small theatre

Hi, I have been asked to submit a proposal for a new recording space for my school in Beijing,China. The space will be in high demand from both the film and music departments I do not have any dimensions yet - there is talk of expanding the music/theatre buildings and so I am really looking for a minimum requirement that I can build a proposal from. Money hasn't normally been an issue. Space is more of a concern. My initial idea is to create a control room which could double as a film mix stage. The room would have around 30 seats at the back. The desk would be towards the front of the room. Our film students/music department would use the room to show / mix films. The music department would also use the space as the control room for "Studio A". There could be a retractable screen at the front of the room with a window behind the screen looking into a live room. The live room would be big enough for band (orchestra and rock) rehearsals. We would build 2 smaller studio spaces for recording voice over/vocals/single instruments etc. with small control rooms for mixing/editing music and film (possibly on headphones). I would put the mixing desk towards the front of the main control room with tiered seating behind. Fim mix stages I have seen seem to have the seating in front of the desk and are huge. We dont need dolby certification Is the combined mix stage/control room a good idea? Can a small control room work as a mix stage and small theatre. I realise that each room has its own requirements, but is there a reasonable compromise that is worth looking at? - the more use of the space, the more chance of this being built. Any thoughts appreciated MIke

My initial idea is to create a control room which could double as a film mix stage. The room would have around 30 seats at the back.

That's a pretty big control room. It sounds more like a post production studio for cine.

The desk would be towards the front of the room. Our film students/music department would use the room to show / mix films.

Many of the cine studios I've seen have the desk at the rear, where it does not interfere with the line of sight of the audience to the screen.

Fim mix stages I have seen seem to have the seating in front of the desk and are huge.

Yes, that's the common way of doing it.

Can a small control room work as a mix stage and small theatre.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't do that. It should work. The only issue might be the distracting lights and activity at the console if it is front of the audience. As far as I know, that's one of the reasons why cine studios put the desk at the back. - Stuart -

Thanks for the reply. The film teacher wants a theatre for his class to show their work, the music department wants a live room/studio. We need a place to mix movies and music......We have limited space. So if it will work in theory then thats great. I didnt think about the flashing lights - even though it sounds obvious now! I suppose we will need to address that. Has anybody seen a link to small film mix stage design? Some plans to start us off on the right track? Thanks. Mike