Tuesday afternoon, 11 November - The Acoustical Society of America

In each case, the unique qualities that made the buildings successful in their original use were exploited in their redevelopment. Issues
of adapting structure, mechanical systems, and adapting to the local environment all guide the setting of priorities in the acoustic design.
Special attention is paid to developing flexible infrastructure since clearly the second or sometimes the third use of the building will
not be its last. The special problems overcome in retrofitting the existing space for the performing arts are discussed.
1:45
2pAA3. Four buildings converted to performance spaces. David Woolworth Oxford Acoust., 356 CR 102, Oxford, MS 38655,
dave@oxfordacoustics.com
This paper documents the conversion of two metal buildings and two brick buildings into performance spaces: a metal seafood
restaurant into a church sanctuary, a cotton gin into an amplified music venue, a 1928 power house into a black box and gallery, and an
office complex and restaurant into a 1200-person capacity amplified venue and movie theater. The challenges and trade offs will be
discussed, and the coordination of room acoustics, mechanical noise, and sound systems. Methods of control of amplified low end are
addressed for each venue in terms of isolation and absorption.
2:05
2pAA4. Sala São Paulo Concert Hall, 1998 to 2008. Jose Nepomuceno Acustica Sonica, R. Fradique Coutinho, 955 sala 01, 05416-
011 São Paulo, Brasil
Sala São Paulo is the house of Orquestra Sinonica do Estado de São Paulo OSESP, and it is an adaptive conversion of a portion
of the Julio Prestes railway terminal in São Paulo, Brazil into a concert hall of 1509 seats. Estao Julio Prestes dates from 1938 and the
renovation project began in 1997. The concert hall construction started in 1998, and it was opened in July 1999. Ten years after the
construction started, Sala São Paulo is a great success. A moveable ceiling with 15 panels weighing 7.5 tons each provides unique sound
adjustments. The system calls attention from musicians, from the public, and from researchers. This paper presents a discussion about
Sala São Paulo achievements from 1998 to 2008. For example, before Sala São Paulo, acoustics used to start as soon as the architecture
design was finished. After Sala São Paulo, this is no longer the rule. Items designed for this project were further developed and installed
in other venues and are now commercially available. Moveable ceiling adjustments changed since the project, strongly influenced by
listening experiences, showing limitations of judgment based solely on measurements. Construction issues are discussed.
2pAA5. Rugby Hall. Marshall Long Marshall Long Acoust., 13636 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
2:25
Rugby Hall began as a flat floored rectangular room with a low ceiling, which had false wooden beams at right angles to the main
axis of the room. There was a low-raised platform on the short wall at one end of the room which served as a makeshift stage. The room
was used for lectures, plays, and musicals and performed poorly for all uses. After much puzzling it was decided to excavate the floor
to yield raked seating and an expanded stage area. The false beams were removed and the ceiling was raised. The new ceiling had to
be designed around the large steel beams above and a unique sidewall design was developed. The resulting hall which seats 386 has
served the school for over 20 years as a mixed use facility.
2:45
2pAA6. A new performance space for Temple University in the oldest building on campus. David Greenberg Creative Acoust.,
LLC, 5 Inwood Ln., Westport, CT 06880 and Felicia Doggett Metropolitan Acoust., LLC, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Construction of the Baptist Temple on North Broad Street in Philadelphia was begun in 1899 and completed the following year.
Temple University was founded within its walls and consequently where it got its name. The University purchased the building in 1972
where it remained vacant for several decades. In 2007, Temple University announced plans to adapt the structure as a multipurpose
venue for orchestra and choral performances, jazz ensembles, drama, lectures, and convocations. The building includes the main worship
space located above the Chapel of the Four Chaplains in the basement, both of which will be renovated into performance spaces.
How does one renovate a wood-framed, volume-limited, noisy street side building with deep wraparound balconies and less-than-ideal
mechanical equipment locations into a performance venue for a high-quality music department on a limited budget with demanding
users and an ultra-cost-conscious owner while maintaining the historic fabric of the building? This presentation explores not only the
details of the renovations but also the complicated relationships between the owner, the user, the architect, the acoustical consultant, and
the peer reviewer.
3:05—3:20 Break
3:20
2pAA7. Retrofitting a performance space: Everyman Theatre. Julie Fischer Shen Milsom Wilke, 3300 N Fairfax Dr., Ste. 302,
Arlington, VA 22201
The new home of the Everyman Theatre company opened in 1910 as a Vaudeville house and has had many reincarnations throughout
its lifetime, including a parking garage and 1550-seat movie theater. In its latest reincarnation, the space under renovation was a
large movie theater. A challenge for the project team has been to take this configuration and turn it into something that fits the needs of
the Everyman Theater company. The current renovation is underway and will include a large studio theater, with approximately 250
seats and several different configurations including a typical end stage, thrust stage, and arena stage, a Blackbox theater, and support
spaces such as classrooms, offices, and rehearsal space. One of the main issues related to the pre-existing space is its current structure.
The current design has two theaters stacked vertically and there is concern that noise and vibration from activities from the upper theater
2480 J. Acoust. Soc. Am., Vol. 124, No. 4, Pt. 2, October 2008 156th Meeting: Acoustical Society of America
2480