This course is part of the Acoustics Academy
Below are a set of links to building type studies from Architectural Record, which are in-depth analyses of particular kinds of buildings, with photos, drawings, specifications, detailed descriptions, and design solutions. Click on each link below, read the article, then complete the quiz to earn your credit and certificate of completion.
Acoustics are the invisible architecture of performance spaces, profoundly shaping the way audiences experience music, theater, and dance. This course examines the art and science of acoustic design in contemporary and historic venues, drawing from a range of recent case studies to illustrate strategies that unite clarity, resonance, and adaptability.
Participants will explore how architects and acousticians work together to fine-tune performance environments—whether expanding a storied hall within tight urban constraints, reviving historic fabric for modern symphony use, or crafting new spaces that balance intimacy with grandeur. Examples include KPMB’s narrow-site expansion of Toronto’s Massey Hall, a dance venue rising at Jacobs Pillow after a devastating fire, HGA and Akustiks’ transformation of a historic San Diego theater into a world-class symphony hall, the carefully detailed Queen Silvia Concert Hall in Stockholm, and the new performance venue at Brown University that prioritizes arts, sound, and student life.
KPMB Maximizes a Narrow Site to Add State-of-the-Art Facilities to a Storied Toronto Concert Hall
Fitting any building into an alleyway is a remarkable feat, and it’s doubly bold to position a transformative institution for Toronto’s booming entertainment industry within an interstitial space.
Matthew Allen
A New Dance Venue Rises on the Site of a Theater Fire at Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires
The Berkshires campus of Jacob’s Pillow, the dance center founded in 1933, is picture-postcard beautiful.
Dante A. Ciampaglia
In San Diego, HGA and Akustics Revive a Historic Theater as a World-Class Symphony Hall
New seats, a calmer color scheme, and improved acoustics work within the historic interiors of the Jacobs Music Center
Clifford A. Pearson
A Stockholm Concert Hall Combines Top Acoustics with Delicate Details
Italian architect Giorgio Palù of Arkpabi Architecture Studio invisioned his first concert hall over 15 years ago. Inspired by Auguste Perret's famous vow to "build a hall that rings like a violin."
A Performance Venue at Brown University Gives the Arts Top Billing
The latest addition to Brown University's eclectic campus iis a sleek, silvery aluminum-clad box. Mostly windowless, its' define by fluted facades and a striking glazed ribbon at the base.
Joann Gonchar, FAIA
Photo © Scott Norsworthy
The restored Massey Music Hall at Allied Music Centre.
Below are a set of links to building type studies from Architectural Record, which are in-depth analyses of particular kinds of buildings, with photos, drawings, specifications, detailed descriptions, and design solutions. Click on each link below, read the article, then complete the quiz to earn your credit and certificate of completion.
Acoustics are the invisible architecture of performance spaces, profoundly shaping the way audiences experience music, theater, and dance. This course examines the art and science of acoustic design in contemporary and historic venues, drawing from a range of recent case studies to illustrate strategies that unite clarity, resonance, and adaptability.
Participants will explore how architects and acousticians work together to fine-tune performance environments—whether expanding a storied hall within tight urban constraints, reviving historic fabric for modern symphony use, or crafting new spaces that balance intimacy with grandeur. Examples include KPMB’s narrow-site expansion of Toronto’s Massey Hall, a dance venue rising at Jacobs Pillow after a devastating fire, HGA and Akustiks’ transformation of a historic San Diego theater into a world-class symphony hall, the carefully detailed Queen Silvia Concert Hall in Stockholm, and the new performance venue at Brown University that prioritizes arts, sound, and student life.
KPMB Maximizes a Narrow Site to Add State-of-the-Art Facilities to a Storied Toronto Concert Hall
Fitting any building into an alleyway is a remarkable feat, and it’s doubly bold to position a transformative institution for Toronto’s booming entertainment industry within an interstitial space.
Matthew Allen
A New Dance Venue Rises on the Site of a Theater Fire at Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires
The Berkshires campus of Jacob’s Pillow, the dance center founded in 1933, is picture-postcard beautiful.
Dante A. Ciampaglia
In San Diego, HGA and Akustics Revive a Historic Theater as a World-Class Symphony Hall
New seats, a calmer color scheme, and improved acoustics work within the historic interiors of the Jacobs Music Center
Clifford A. Pearson
A Stockholm Concert Hall Combines Top Acoustics with Delicate Details
Italian architect Giorgio Palù of Arkpabi Architecture Studio invisioned his first concert hall over 15 years ago. Inspired by Auguste Perret's famous vow to "build a hall that rings like a violin."
A Performance Venue at Brown University Gives the Arts Top Billing
The latest addition to Brown University's eclectic campus iis a sleek, silvery aluminum-clad box. Mostly windowless, its' define by fluted facades and a striking glazed ribbon at the base.
Joann Gonchar, FAIA
Photo © Scott Norsworthy
The restored Massey Music Hall at Allied Music Centre.
