Too Much Lot Line Noise
January 15, 2014
As winter turns to spring people start talking to their architect or landscape designer about a new hot tub or pool, or perhaps it’s a new air conditioner or even an emergency generator. Soon we will start to get phone
Product Review: Printable Acoustic Cloth
December 1, 2010
Sometimes it seems like acoustics and aesthetics are at odds with one another. But some companies, such as Whisper Walls® are trying to bridge the gap. The company’s WhisperArt product offers varying sizes of sound-dampening panels with the ability to
Project Profile: Forsyth Detention Center Surveillance System
December 1, 2010
Since 1996 the Forsyth County Detention Center in North Carolina relied on eight cameras to help monitor the 800 detainees contained within eleven housing units. The system, while functional, only covered the most critical of areas. For example, the intake
Focus on Technology: Video over IP
December 1, 2010
Remember when phone calls used to travel over phone lines? The advent of wireless systems, along with Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, is cutting into the traditional telephone market. In 2010, US cable companies are providing VoIP phone service to
Focus on Technology: Visual Presentation Spaces, Part I Understanding the 468 Rule
August 1, 2010
Designing presentation facilities can be challenging, but the basic principles are not difficult. Each project and venue comes with its own set of variables and limitations that require some analysis to determine how to create the most optimal conditions. The
Product Review: RP Visuals ULTRAFLEX Screen
April 1, 2010
We came across a new product from RP Visuals (www.rpvisuals.com) that may be the answer to your screen problems. The bendable ULTRAFLEX projection screen ships in a cylinder as small as 40-inches in diameter. Once on-site, it is unrolled, tensioned
Focus on Acoustics: Keeping Bowling Alley Noise in the Gutter
April 1, 2010
Modern bowling alleys have transitioned from the stale, smoky lounges of decades past to family entertainment centers that offer a variety of activities. Frequently, bowling alleys are now part of larger buildings such as shopping malls and even mixed-use developments
Project Profile: USF Joint Military/ROTC Building
December 1, 2009
Thorburn Associates was honored to be on the team for the University of South Florida’s most technologically advanced educational facility, located in Tampa. TA was engaged by USF to design the audiovisual systems for this state-of-the-art facility. The building’s five
Focus on Technology: Overhead Microphone Systems
December 1, 2009
Your ears are really good acoustical measurement tools. Sit in a space alone sometime, clear your mind, and see how many different sounds you can identify. Very often, you will be able to pick out five or six sounds and
Focus on Acoustics: Containing Fan and Duct Noise
December 1, 2009
During a recent tour of an existing campus, we were shown a classroom that was in the process of having a complete, bells-and-whistles audiovisual package installed to support a distance learning program. However, our project meeting quickly took an unscheduled