Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Crystal Bridges is both a museum and a culture center. As a place that houses diverse activities, indoors and outdoors, for all age groups, it demands a wide range of spaces conducive to interaction with varied character.

The site selected is a ravine fed steeply sloping with mature trees – extraordinarily beautiful, yet fragile. Two structures, which are both dams and bridges, are located across the ravine forming two great ponds. Additional structures are nestled into the steeply sloping terrain on either side, containing galleries, classrooms, a library, a lecture hall, curatorial and administrative offices. The bridge structures contain galleries in the northern bridge and reception and hospitality facilities in the southern one. Further south within the pond, on axis with the bridges, is a Great Hall, a multi-purpose public space.

Acentech provided comprehensive consulting — from the acoustical details to full technology system design. The Great Hall was of particular interest, and Acentech created a 3DListening® presentation to allow the design team to hear the effects of several acoustical design options. The team settled on a system of acoustically absorptive panels on vertical faces of the beams, providing a degree of acoustical control while retaining the reverberant character of this monumental space.

Museum Expansion

Acentech is consulting with Safdie Architects on the acoustics and audiovisual systems planning, design, and construction administration for the Phase 2 museum expansion. The expansion adds new galleries, a bridge connector with a space for reflection and exhibition, and educational spaces totaling approximately 100,000 sf.