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The goal of architectural acoustics is to create the optimal interior acoustical environment.  The first task for achieving this goal is to gain a complete understanding of the uses for the design space, and to fully understand the owner's vision.  Based on this information, we address a broad range of considerations relating to sound, such as speech intelligibility, musical clarity and warmth, interference from internal and external sources (e.g. plumbing noise, adjacent space activity, vehicle traffic, and aircraft overflights), acoustical privacy, and the appropriate degree of reverberant sound level for spaces within a building.  Many of these considerations are specific to a particular type of project, such as a performing arts space.  However, effective acoustical design is critical for the success of any space used for communication, including convention centers, houses of worship, conference rooms, schools, music education facilities, emergency operations centers, and a wide range of other types of buildings and facilities.

Appropriate design in architectural acoustics is critically important for:

• Performing Arts Venues & Theaters
• Schools & Universities (including Classroom Acoustics)
• Houses of Worship (Traditional and Non-traditional)
• Multi-Family Residential & Hotels
• Open Office Areas, Conference Rooms, Video/Teleconference Spaces
• Confidential Communication Areas (Medical, Counseling, Legal)
• Mixed-Use Projects (e.g. Retail & Residential spaces in the same building)

Design issues related to architectural acoustics typically include:

• Exterior Wall, Roof, and Window Constructions for Sound Control
• Interior Wall, Floor, and Ceiling Constructions for Sound Control
• Room Adjacencies to group compatible uses together, or to design for sound control between incompatible uses
• Interior Finishes & Room Shaping to optimize reverberant sound levels and reflected energy patterns
• Room Size, Shaping, and Proportion to optimize reverberant sound levels and room modal response.
• Sound Isolation to prevent unwanted sound intrusion
• Control of Reverberant Sound to provide speech clarity, and to support warmth and reverberance in musical performances.