Spring 2011

Winter 2009/2010

Showcase Article:

Acoustics: When bows meet strings
How acoustics and architecture enhance the auditory experience
By Robin Heron

As musicians took to the stage for the Royal Conservatory of Music’s opening night gala at the Koerner Concert Hall this past September, the anticipation in the air was palpable. It was a night nearly 20 years in the making, and as audience members marveled at the rich oak interior and breathtaking acoustic canopy overhead, many wondered whether the sound could possibly match up to the visual experience.



There was no need to worry.

As bows met strings, fingers traced keys, and voices rose in chorus, it was clear that the hall was not just a beautiful space, but also a stunning auditory achievement.

First envisioned as part of a 1991 master plan for the restoration and redevelopment of the RCM’s Bloor Street location, the hall’s completion marks the final phase of the project, helmed by designer Marianne McKenna of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects. Working closely with acoustician Bob Essert of Sound Space Design (whose other achievements include the flawless sound of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts), McKenna has created a warm, inviting space for performers to showcase the best in jazz, pop, classical and world music with clarity and integrity.

“It was a big challenge to get it right,” says McKenna, “We worked very closely and listened very carefully to the acoustician, and it’s just amazing how it turned out – it’s utterly fabulous.”



Based on a traditional “shoe-box” shape, with two tiers of balcony above the main orchestra level, and a third balcony for technical equipment, the 1,135-seat hall’s much talked about curves were incorporated into the design as much for the acoustic benefits as the aesthetic. The convex shaping of the walls and curved lines of the balconies serve to reflect sound waves back onto the audience in several different directions making for a richer, more immersive auditory experience.

High above, a giant convex wooden canopy has been built to reflect sound from the performers out into the audience, while seaweed-like ribbons of oak twist and flow along the ceiling underneath the fixed canopy, creating a veil of strings running from the stage over to the technical balcony level.

“We invested a huge amount of design intention into that veil, and felt it was very important as our signature element,” says McKenna. “It was a challenge because it had to be acoustically transparent, and yet give the impression of continuity in the ceiling.”

McKenna’s spectacular design has not only thrilled concertgoers, but garnered the hall the 2009 Wood Works Ontario Interior Wood Design Award (see page 25 in this issue). Lauded for its innovative use of oak to create a concert hall evoking the image of a metaphoric stringed instrument, the artful arcs and smooth lines have critics hailing the space as a jewel in Toronto’s cultural crown.

“We chose oak because of its ultimate versatility, and affordability,” she says. “It was going to be part of the veil, veneer and solid flooring, and we also wanted something that would be perceived from a North American and Canadian context.”

Beyond concert halls to condominiums
Though performance spaces such as the Koerner Concert Hall are a rare project within the architectural community, a growing number of architects and designers are taking the auditory landscape of all types of building projects into account during the planning stages. With constant urban growth, and legions of new condominiums in the works, along with the new technological demands of home theatres, sound studios and mixed-use buildings, plans calling for collaboration with acoustical engineers are becoming more and more common among builders as they try to keep up with the demands of noise reduction and sound isolation from their clients.



“We’re usually a specialist member of a design team,” says Al Lightstone, president of Valcoustics Canada Ltd., whose projects include the Royal Ontario Museum expansion and the National Gallery. “We do a lot of office work and specialty work where we focus on room acoustics, the fundamental design of spaces, shape, geometry and the orientation of surfaces, to create wanted sound reflections or deal with unwanted sound reflections.”

He says it is best for acoustical engineers to be brought onto projects as early as possible, so that the design can become a collaborative project and ensure that more expensive renovations are not needed to tackle noise problems after the building’s completion.

“We are not interior designers, and we’re not the architect – what we’re trying to do is make it work acoustically within the vision of the architect for what the space should look like,” he says. “Sometimes there is a conflict, because they want it to sound a certain way, and we have to show them that it won’t happen unless they make some changes, and we can offer suggestions. It’s a team approach, and the nicething about the modern computer simulation is that we can explain right away and say ‘take your choice.’”

And now, with the advent of these advanced computer simulation tools, it is easier than ever to test out different build options and come up with the best noise reduction solutions at a reasonable price for the builder.

“Every year society continues to be more concerned about sounding and a quiet environment,” says Bill Gastmeier of HGC Engineering, a consulting engineering firm specializing in environmental and industrial noise control, vibration and architectural acoustics. “And what the new technology has done is allow the engineering components to be done in a much more precise manner, allowing for more complicated design.”



However, according to Bill Wilkinson Jr. of Acoustiguard-Wilrep Ltd., a machinery installation, vibration isolation and noise control company, it’s not just new computer modeling technology that can improve soundproofing options for builders, but also innovations in raw building materials.

“We’re living in a world where there’s far more density, and if you get home and try and de-stress and you can hear food being chopped above your head, someone vacuuming, walking, dragging a chair, or dropping a teaspoon, it’s very disturbing,” he says. “The good thing is that the consumer is starting to be a bit more educated, and starting to ask more questions, and this is driving builders to make changes as well.”

He recommends items like acoustic isolation clips, which are used to attach drywall to either the wall or floor, reducing the transmission of airborne and impact sound through walls and ceilings, as well as Green Glue, a viscoelastic damping compound that can be used in wall and ceiling assembly.”

“The problem is most people still don’t know that this technology exists,” he says. “It’s all about education, and it’s coming. I just want to tell people to look around because there are technologies available to find effective soundproofing for today’s living.”


Robin Heron is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

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Also in this issue:

Everything Old is Green Again


How innovative manufacturers are making the most of recycled materials in products for interior design and architecture.


B.C.’s Olympic Venues

How the Vancouver Organizing Committee made sustainability and green building principles its raison d’etre.


Mediating Space with Colour


Learn how the strategic use of colour can maximize and benefit complicated interior spaces.
Five designers, five innovative concepts ­ one winner


2009 Wood Works! Ontario


Award-winning projects that showcase wood design and use.


Editor’s Message


News and Notes
A look at what’s happening from events here at home to exhibitions and awards in the industries we promote.


Kudos
Our congratulations on noteworthy completed projects and appointment announcements across the industry.