Lewis center for the arts at Princeton University

Abstract

The opening of Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts in the Fall 2017 provided much needed performance and teaching spaces for the Theatre, Dance and Music programs at Princeton University, including an acoustically isolated orchestral rehearsal room, black box theater, dance theater, dance and acting studios, and music practice rooms individually hung from the roof slab above. Achieving the right balance of aural connectivity and sound isolation was an important part of the design, ensuring the Center feels vibrant and alive, while allowing teaching, rehearsal and performance to occur without disturbance. A key component to this work was the use of the Arup Soundlab, used to simulate the predicted acoustic environment within the music, drama and dance spaces, allowing the Princeton faculty and administration to listen to these spaces, and through discussion with Arup and architects from Steven Holl and BNIM, make informed decisions on the acoustic requirements for the design.The opening of Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts in the Fall 2017 provided much needed performance and teaching spaces for the Theatre, Dance and Music programs at Princeton University, including an acoustically isolated orchestral rehearsal room, black box theater, dance theater, dance and acting studios, and music practice rooms individually hung from the roof slab above. Achieving the right balance of aural connectivity and sound isolation was an important part of the design, ensuring the Center feels vibrant and alive, while allowing teaching, rehearsal and performance to occur without disturbance. A key component to this work was the use of the Arup Soundlab, used to simulate the predicted acoustic environment within the music, drama and dance spaces, allowing the Princeton faculty and administration to listen to these spaces, and through discussion with Arup and architects from Steven Holl and BNIM, make informed decisions on the acoustic requirements for the design.