In our industry, delivering great design solutions is the ticket for entry to join the ranks of the big firms. Anything less and you won’t be invited to work on the significant projects—at least not more than once anyway.

The differentiation comes in how those design solutions are delivered.

We live in a world where technology is fueling collaboration at higher speeds than ever before possible. Hierarchical structures (“command and control” as Thomas Friedman aptly put it) are giving way to “connect and collaborate” structures. The goal is no longer wrapping expertise in reports. No one has time to read them.  Instead solutions have to be developed in groups—the only way to get them to the point of action rather than having them languish on a shelf.

Many designers will tell you (off the record) that one of the biggest death-knolls for a project is circular decision making by the client. Design fees that should go to brighter and brighter innovation instead get wasted visiting and revisiting the same decisions over-and-over. And while in some industry circles you will hear people grousing about the clients, in actuality it is our—the designer’s—fault.  Current industry processes don’t allow for real-time design decisions, and engineers rarely develop the people skills needed to lead groups in identifying which decisions are important to make. 

In 2012, Acoustic Dimensions is investing heavily in structure to allow clients to make informed decisions rapidly.  Note that this isn’t about rushing or short cuts, but about re-engineering--cutting out wasteful and repetitive processes, tooling our offices for participatory design and increasing our team’s skill in group dynamics.  This efficiency is being passed onto our clients and is resulting in a work flow that is radically more effective and engaging.  As we mount our industry revolution, we want to invite feedback from the design teams and clients with whom we work.  What is the impact? How can we be better? We invite you to send your feedback to your project manager or to the leadership of any of our offices, because the best part of the revolution is that it creates a dialogue. 

Bramall Music Building houses a 450-seat auditorium, music studios and a domed rehearsal room to support the University of Birmingham's strong music program. The new building completes a crescent of buildings originally designed by Aston Webb over 100 years ago. 

Acoustically our challenge was to address the wide diversity of music education and performance in the Music School. And with a dome as part of the original design--this was no small problem.  Domes are notorious for their acoustical problems of focusing and whispering gallery effects.  We developed a dome diffuser which works on the same acoustic principal as balcony fronts in an opera house -- by scattering sound from the edges of a reflective panel.

Consider the typical horseshoe shape of an Italian opera house: if the balcony fronts were only reflective, there would be an uncomfortable focus of sound in the center of the main floor....but there isn't.  And the reason there isn't is that the sound waves are scattered by the edges of the balcony -- so to the listener the scattered sound appears to come from all along these curved edges and not from a mirror-image of the source.  Both in the opera house and in this dome, the scattering is not just a scattering in space: it is a spreading in time as the reflected and scattered energy travels to the listener from progressively more distant edges.  For this dome, our studies showed that the reflected and scattered sound would arrive at the listener over a period 30ms or more -- rather than all at once as would happen with an untreated dome.

In our design, we were not relying solely on edge-diffraction for the acoustical treatment.  In addition, the angle of the "petals" of the dome is selected to direct the sound to focus in the upper part of the room well above the occupied zone. Fifty-percent of the sound is directed to pass through through the gaps between petals to be absorbed behind the dome. This absorption of the sound helps control the loudness of the orchestra in this rehearsal room while the scattering helps the musicians hear one another.

We all have activities that we enjoy doing outside our daily work routine.  Some may be related to what we do professionally and others not at all.  Yet sometimes there is an activity that combines your talents and skills, provides meaning and value and you simply love to do it.  This is the case for Vance Breshears – Principal in our San Diego office.  Vance currently serves as a Search and Rescue Volunteer with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.  For the past 2 years Vance has spent many weekends training with the technical rescue team. This team of dedicated volunteers is primarily responsible for all search and rescue missions involving lost or stranded persons within the unincorporated areas of the County and other local jurisdictions. The team is also trained as Disaster Service Workers.

Over the years, the Sheriff’s SAR Detail has grown tremendously. Currently, the organization has over 200 volunteers that contribute countless hours of their personal time. In excess of 20,000 man-hours and 250,000 miles in their privately owned vehicles are donated each year. In dollars and cents, this adds up to saving the county of San Diego $425,000 annually. Here at Acoustics Dimensions we are proud to have Vance serve as part of this organization.

[[posterous-content:gBpDJgsnzfEigmbrwrsf]][[posterous-content:FjejguFlFtdzEckatFFh]]

It is rare that a building takes over 100 years to finally "top off," but the new Bramall Music Building did just that this week completing the crescent of buildings at the University of Birmingham. As part of a larger project funded by philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, the project paused when money ran out before the final building was built. But now, over 100 years later, the final building in the redbrick crescent takes its home.

Acoustic Dimensions is working with Glenn Howells Architects on the project which houses a 450-seat auditorium, a domed rehearsal room, music studios, offices and teaching spaces to support the University’s strong music program. 

While Glenn Howells Architects are known for their innovation in modern architecture, in this case they followed the intent of the other buildings in the crescent which were designed by Sir Aston Webb, who served as President of the Royal Academy from 1919 to 1924.

Collaborative Tech Systems Design Workshop from Acoustic Dimensions on Vimeo.

In building construction, topping out occurs when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. For significant projects, a topping out ceremony is often held to commemorate the event. 

One of the many beautiful things about Omani culture is the giving of gifts to show appreciation. Nicholas Edwards was awarded one of five silver coffee pots in the Omani traditional style for his dedication and work on the Royal Opera House on behalf of Acoustic Dimensions.  The intricately detailed works of art were given to the people who had been deeply involved in the project across the years from its early development to completion. 

The Royal Opera House Muscat is a new venue which opened this week dedicated to the diverse artistic and cultural expressions from the Sultanate, the region, and the world.  The design for the Opera Hall was a collaboration between a UK-based design team—including Acoustic Dimensions and architects WATG—and the in-house interior designers of the Royal Court of Oman.  Although the building is called an opera house, it transforms into a classical concert hall and into a world-class organ recital hall.  It reflects the model of the early European concert halls and opera houses but with a rich style that embodies the culture and history of Oman.

Nicholas Edwards of Acoustic Dimensions is in Oman this week for the opening of the 1000-seat Royal Opera House in Muscat.

Established by Royal Decree, Royal Opera House Muscat is a beautiful new venue dedicated to the diverse artistic and cultural expressions from the Sultanate, the region, and the world.  As the acoustician working on the project, Nick was struck many times by the blend in the architecture of the old world history of Oman and the modern capacity to support world-class productions.

The Royal Opera House Muscat is made astonishingly unique with richly detailed carved stone and wood finishes in a sophisticated interior which both equips it in its mission to embody Oman’s cultural heritage and makes it a gem of artistic engagement. Oman realizes the Royal Directives to broaden people’s participation in cultural life.

The design for the Opera Hall was a collaboration between a UK-based design team—including Acoustic Dimensions and architects WATG—and the in-house interior designers of the Royal Court of Oman.  Although the building is called an opera house, it actually transforms into a classical concert hall and into a world-class organ recital hall.  It reflects the model of the early European concert halls and opera houses.

A reverberation chamber is included to support the acoustics for the pipe organ and adjustable acoustic elements are concealed behind elaborately carved screens to transform the acoustics for amplified sound.

Opening performances in the Opera House include Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, American Ballet Theatre, and the Mariinsky Ballet with future seasons including performances that highlight Omani art, as well as collaborations between leading Arab, Indian, Asian, African and Western artists.

As Michael Kaiser wrote in the Huffington Post about the project, “Do not be surprised if a decade from now some of the most interesting arts projects in the world are emanating from a nation that many of us could not identify on the map.”