Variable Acoustics
November 1, 2004
Modern halls and churches come in all shapes and sizes, and the push for these spaces to be multipurpose spaces creates acoustical challenges. From music requiring long reverberation times, to dramatic performances that require greater articulation and ambient warmth, a
Laminated Glass on Steroids
June 1, 2004
Sekisui, a Japanese firm, has come up with a new way to improve the acoustical performance of laminated glass which is often used to reduce noise transfer from space to space when vision is desired. The inner layer of the
Way to Go Team – Cesar E. Chavez Education Center Wins!
June 1, 2004
And the “Savings By Design Energy Efficiency Integration Award” goes to: Cesar E. Chavez Education Center, Oakland, California Architect: VBN Architects Electrical Engineering: Pete O. Lapid & Associates, Inc. Mechanical Engineering: Raymond Brooks Engineers, Inc. Acoustical Engineering: Thorburn Associates Inc.
Historical Temple Goes Retail
May 1, 2004
When built in 1912, the Moorish-style Medinah Temple was a meeting place for the Shrine of North America. After a 21st century, multi-million dollar restoration and renovation, the historic building at 600 N. Wabash Ave., in Chicago’s River North area,
Restoration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
April 1, 2004
In response to the needs of the expanding Catholic Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee, Williamson Pounders Architects (WPA) also of Memphis, selected Thorburn Associates to assist with the acoustical and audio system design for the restoration of the Cathedral of the
“I Didn’t Know You Did That”
March 1, 2004
If we just had a nickel for every time we hear “I didn’t know you did that!”… Most recently, a very good client was sharing an elevator ride with us and mentioned he needed someone to do an audiovisual system
CSI’s MasterFormat™ 04 and its Impact on Our Work
March 1, 2004
The current status is that late in 2004 the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) will formally publish the new MasterFormat™ layout. Over the last few years the MasterFormat™ Task Team has been working on the first major update in 38 years.
Riverside County Boardroom Replacement Project
February 1, 2004
Due to the explosive growth of the county of Riverside a larger County Building was required to support the needs of the county taxpayers. Part of the new County Building included a new County Boardroom. The new Boardroom functions were,
UNCA Highsmith Student Center
January 1, 2004
University of North Carolina – Asheville, Highsmith Student Center, Asheville, NC Architect: Lee Nichols Clark Patterson Located in Asheville, NC is the new 73,920 square foot Student Center for the University of North Carolina – Asheville. The project is a
Classroom Acoustics
December 1, 2003
More than three-quarters of the teachers in a recent poll gave the acoustics in their classrooms a failing grade. The problem is most commonly a “signal to noise” ratio issue, which results in poor speech intelligibility. In general terms –