UMass Amherst – Isenberg School of Management

The unique design appends a circular extension onto the existing rectangular building, with an innovative arrangement of leaning exterior columns. This created unusual geometries and adjacencies, especially in and around the lobby atrium, known as the Student Commons. Our acoustics consultants developed an auralization to demonstrate the transmission of activity noise from the busy Student Commons into the quieter interview rooms that overlook the tall atrium space and campus quad. Creative sound absorptive solutions were implemented to control reverberation, thereby increasing speech intelligibility and reducing loudness during events. Room acoustics, sound isolation from adjacent areas, and background noise levels were also critical components of the acoustical design of classrooms, trading room, student commons, and the café.

Our audiovisual consultants integrated the technology seamlessly into the distinctive architectural design aesthetic. Large classrooms included special features such as a confidence monitor for the instructor, a video wall for the primary display, as well as several cameras and microphones for providing two-way video conferencing and lecture capture capabilities. A number of classrooms, conference rooms, and communal meeting spaces were outfitted with a room scheduling system, including booking panels mounted outside each space. The Student Commons welcome those entering with a large video wall that can also function as a presentation system, supporting various high profile events. Room acoustics and audiovisual system designers collaborated to ensure good function of key classrooms for both natural and amplified speech.