Performance Hall Tuning: Ensuring the Sound is Sound
As thrilling as the design and construction of buildings are for architects, the life their creations take on when they start to be used for their intended purpose is even more interesting. Before occupation, though, there is an important intermediate step, known as commissioning. This is when all of the systems, mechanical and otherwise, are tested, balanced … Continue reading
Designing Contextually in a Place Without Context
Before pursuing the question of what it means to design contextually, we need to make sure we are on the same page about the term context. The dictionary shows it to mean “the circumstances, background or setting where a particular act or event occurs.” As far as architecture is concerned, the context is usually thought … Continue reading
Architecture and Acoustics: You Know Greatness When You Hear It
Architecture and acoustics are highly dependent on each other. Every design element in the room, down to the smallest ornament, shapes the sound. Nothing should happen by accident. Working with acousticians, one quickly learns that acoustics is one third art, one third science, and one third black magic (actually something between intuition and malarkey). To … Continue reading
The Smith Center at Six Months
Six months after its opening, Las Vegas is taking the pulse of its new The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the reviews suggest it’s become a star – not only of a PBS production that airs this week, but of the community that turned to us to design a cultural magnet for the … Continue reading
Parchment 