The Hamel Music Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a world-class concert hall that required extreme accuracy in its design. This one-of-a kind music facility required structural and acoustic designs that would work together. Teamwork and expert knowledge resulted in just that: extraordinary sound quality and listening experi- ences for university students, faculty and community patrons. Many experts gave careful consideration to the facility’s structural strength and support, reverberation and sound isolation, acoustical performance and materials used, among other specifications. As part of the design team, raSmith (structural engineering) worked with Strang, Inc. (architect) and Talaske (acoustics) to provide a struc- The Mead Witter School of Music was housed within a campus build- ing constructed in 1969. Over the years, significant building changes to keep pace with the times had not occurred, outside of a major asbestos removal in the 1990s. Staff were teaching, and students were learning in an environment that begged for physical and functional upgrades as the school continued to grow. The need for sound isolation was para- mount to the musicians’ achievements of excellence. Predevelopment for a new School of Music with a modern environ- ment began in the mid-2000s. While the goal for building occupancy was early 2017, multiple setbacks left the project on hold until many generous donor contributions allowed the project to resume in 2014. Beyond budgetary considerations, the new building would need to con- nect the campus to its surrounding community. But how would this connection be achieved? In order to create this new arts corridor, the Hamel Music Center would be situated along busy University Avenue. Next door to the Hamel Music Center stands the Chazen Museum of Art, University Theatre across the street, and the Wisconsin Union and Wisconsin Union Theater down the block and around the corner. Top-Notch Sound The team’s goal was to design a building fit for rehearsing and perform- ing. Acoustics and sound isolation needed to be top tier for exceptional performances unlike any other. Our structural engineering team faced challenges of isolating sound stemming from busy pedestrian and ve- hicular traffic (including ambulances) along University Avenue, which is one of the city of Madison’s most traveled vehicular streets. Addi- tionally, noise pollution was expected from doors opening and closing, chatter within the lobby, loud HVAC systems, and music played in adjacent halls. Each of the music center’s halls (concert, recital and turally smart design. A School in Need Hamel Music Center Uniquely Isolates Sound, Producing Outstanding Performances By Steve Roloff, P.E., LEED AP
The Hamel Music Center is the new addition to the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music. The building consists of a concert hall, recital hall and rehearsal hall, all open to the campus community and members of the surrounding community. The building features superior sound isolation design and construction to enhance and treat patrons to performances like they have never experienced.
rehearsal) and its lobby needed to be isolated from one another, like a vault for acoustics. Solutions to highly unique problems were inventive, such as the use of acoustical isolation joints (AIJs) that were essential to providing superior sound isolation around the three individual halls. Acoustical isolated construction, an acoustical coffer system and other techniques were also employed. Unique Sound Treatments The overall structural design that worked perfectly for acoustical re- quirements and sound isolation was to essentially place three separate buildings within one larger building. The concert, recital and rehearsal halls are self-supporting, using independent lateral truss systems, and Upon entering the Hamel Music Center, a large, modern lobby opens to both the first and second floors. A monumental staircase winds its way to the second floor, or a lobby area that appears to float, due to the structural ingenuity of raSmith’s structural engineers. On either side of the lobby is unique zig-zag paneling on the walls of the rehearsal and recital halls. These precast panels, which aid in sound isolation, were specifically designed for the Hamel Music Center project.
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august 2020
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