Room Acoustics – Design for internal acoustic quality
The acoustic design of rooms can play a crucial part in determining the operational effectiveness of the space. This is self evident in spaces such as auditoria or broadcast facilities, where the acoustic response of the space is often the primary design focus. However, good acoustic design is also important for less acoustically sensitive buildings, such as schools, offices and medical facilities. Cass Allen has a wide experience of designing many type of internal spaces, backed up by state of the art 3D modelling and calculation facilities.
Cellar Multimedia Centre at Stowe House
Client: Stowe Preservation Trust
Scope: Cass Allen Associates was commissioned to give acoustic design advice for an exhibition on behalf of the Stowe Preservation Trust.
This multimedia exhibition is being created in the cellar of Stowe House which is a Grade I listed country house, also home of Stowe School. The exhibition will tell the history of the family and estate using three audio-visual `Talking Portraits’ which will run simultaneously.
The existing cellar had highly acoustically reflective room surfaces and had high reverberation levels. By generating a 3D noise model, Cass Allen designed the speaker placement and required acoustic absorption into the cellar in order to reduce the reverberation levels and achieve optimum listening conditions for visitors of the exhibition.
The United Synagogue – Bushey Cemetery
Client: United Synagogue
Architects: Waugh Thistleton
Scope: Cass Allen was instructed to acoustically design the four prayer halls at the new synagogue site in Bushey.
The project was particularly challenging due to the highly acoustically reflective internal finishes required in the construction of the halls and limited scope for acoustical solutions.
In order to control excessive reverberation within the halls, Cass Allen designed a bespoke system integrated into the proposed finishes themselves that provided an invisible, yet effective, solution.
Recording Studio – ARU, Cambridge
Client: Anglia Ruskin University
Mechanical Consultants: Hoare Lee
Main Contractors: ARJ Construction
Scope: Anglia Ruskin University commissioned Cass Allen to design a suite of five recording studios and associated control rooms for their Cambridge campus. We completed the commissioning of the tests, which showed that the design brief of providing a complex up to full commercial standards had been achieved.
New Crematorium – Milton Keynes
Client: Milton Keynes Council
Architects: Architecture MK
Main Contractors: Kier Marriott
Scope: Our brief was to ensure that the acoustics of this new £6.2m crematorium would be at least as good as the existing crematorium, which was regarded as having excellent acoustics. We surveyed the existing crematorium to develop design criteria for the new building, based on the existing but upgraded where feasible and economically viable.
The primary design feature linking the various spaces throughout the new facility was a cycloid barrel-vaulted concrete roof. This posed some complicated acoustic questions with respect to speech intelligibility inside the chapel. The situation was further complicated by the requirement for state of the art audio visual facilities inside the chapel so that services could be filmed and webcast live around the world. To address these issues a sophisticated 3D acoustic model was developed (shown above). This enabled us to specify the type, quantity and location of acoustic treatments required.
New Library and Medical Centre – Clapham, London
Client: United House
Architects: Studio Egret West and DLA Architects
Mechanical Consultants: Scott Wilson
Scope: To carry out the detailed acoustic design of the scheme to achieve the Employers Requirements and Planning Conditions. The main library area doubles as a performance space for music and theatre and so detailed 3D modelling was carried out to determine the optimum compromise between the conflicting requirements. The Health Centre was designed to HTM 08-01 acoustic criteria, to ensure suitable speech privacy and acoustic insulation throughout the facility.
Conference Facilities – The Jockey Club, Newmarket
Client: Jockey Club Estates
Planning Consultants: Bidwells
Scope: To advise on the acoustic implications of the refurbishment of the Jockey Club’s conference facilities, which is a listed building and the oldest part of the Jockey Club. The area is used for a wide range of corporate and private functions and so the acoustic design of the refurbishment needed to be sufficiently flexible to provide good speech intelligibility and acoustic comfort for all of the intended uses.
Office Refurbishment – Bishopsgate, Central London
Client: Allen & Overy
Architects: Shor Architects
M & E Consultants: Hilson Moran
Scope: To advise on the refurbishment of the 8th floor of this large office block. Of primary concern was speech privacy throughout the office areas and especially between the many conference and meeting rooms.
College of Construction – Lewisham, London
Client: Stanhope plc
Architects: Emoli Petroschka
Planning Consultants: Frontline Projects
Scope: As part of ongoing long-term developments at Lewisham College, the Construction Faculty plans to move to temporary accommodation in a disused factory site (top photo). Cass Allen’s brief was to design the acoustics of the temporary site so that they were at least as good as those the students currently enjoyed, but to minimize costs in view of the temporary nature of the building. We first surveyed the existing acoustic conditions in the current college and then using 3D modelling developed a scheme of internal acoustic barriers coupled with acoustic absorption (lower photo), which provided the necessary acoustic separation between adjacent work areas.
Auditorium & Office Fit out – Central London
Client: Cushman & Wakefield
Main Contractors: Workstation UK
Scope: To advise on the acoustic design of a large office fit out for an American trading firm, including an auditorium, trading floors and meeting/conference rooms. In view of the sensitive nature of the information discussed, speech privacy surrounding the meeting and conference rooms was of critical importance.
New Skills College – Bristol
Client: Cowlin Construction
Architects: AWW
Scope: The new South Bristol Skills College caters for a wide variety of courses, from vehicle maintenance and construction to beauty therapy and hairdressing. In additional, the building contains two large atria (shown above) which are used for private study, catering facilities and arts performance. Each type of space required detailed acoustic design to ensure that the acoustic characteristics of the space fitted the intended use, whilst maintaining a consistent design aesthetic.
