Sound decision to add facility
The Sound Engine’s design lends itself to comfort and practicality
THE Sound Engine, purposebuilt for sound engineering training, is situated directly opposite the SABC in Auckland Park. The tall new building adds to the Academy of Sound Engineering’s facilities, which currently reside inside the SABC.
“We have achieved what we set out to do, and that is to provide a quintessential sound facility for teaching purposes,” says Tim Kraft, MD of the Academy of Sound Engineering.
“One thing that fascinates me about architecture is that it has the ability to change the way people behave, think and interact — through the use of space, light, texture, colour, and of course acoustic characteristics. A lot of thought went into achieving this by working closely with designer Adrian Whines, chief executive of Brand DNA. The design is trendy but not stuck in any specific genre. It’s functional bespoke structure will not date,” he says.
Not only is Kraft the inspiration behind this building, he has a string of qualifications and a wealth of industry knowledge and experience. He is one of the most qualified ProTools instructors in the world, has produced or engineered numerous gold or platinum albums and holds a master’s degree in Creative Media Practices from Middlesex University. The Sound Engine is the realisation of a lifelong ambition.
Long before this building became a reality, Kraft worked in several world-famous sound studios and learnt much about architectural acoustics. Years of research later he is now an expert in the science and engineering of producing perfect sound inside a building.
The exterior of the Sound Engine, in charcoal grey, is full of audio symbolism. The curved surfaces speak of audio oscillation while the window cut-outs emulate audio meters. At night the brightly lit panels are guaranteed to catch the attention of passers-by. Lasercut waveforms on the steel entrance gates generate a moiré pattern as they slide past each other, simulating sound waves. “Visually, it says: we’re about sound,” says Kraft.
The interiors are designed to suit a working environment. Each studio has its own identity. “Engine Room 3” is the largest of the four rooms, with a 96-seat dub-stage (an auditorium designed for film mixing). It is a high-quality cinema with plush chairs and carpets, but with the addition of a multimillionrand 5.1 surround-sound monitoring and mixing system. During the day the auditorium is used as a lecture room. After hours and at weekends, it is available to students as a mixing and viewing studio.
The second Engine Room is cus- tom-designed for orchestral and choir recordings, with a combination of light timber and grey concrete. The acoustics need to be bright and live with a longer reverberation time to allow horn and string players to feel the blend of their instruments. The mix of light maple wood on the walls and floors helps produce perfect acoustics.
The construction posed a number of challenges, including sound isolation on a busy street, configuration on a narrow stand, wheelchair access, student flow and stringent building regulations. The 485m² area is taken up with studios and the open rooftop offers magnificent views. Passages, staircases and balconies are on the outside and the toilet facilities are structurally decoupled from the studios to eliminate noise transmission.
The Sound Engine includes a basement and two floors with wheelchair access. The studios are purpose-designed with no parallel walls and 5m-high floor-to-slab volumes, to achieve the optimal 5.1 surround-sound.
The materials are composite layers of brick, reinforced concrete and polystyrene. The half-metrethick first-floor slab alone contains 30 tons of steel. Its sheer mass prevents the transmission of sound from the first floor to the studios beneath. The columns are cast with custom-made shutters. “All this proved to be very time-consuming and it was a case of research and development as we went along,” says designer Adrian Whines.
Air conditioning plays a critical role as students spend many hours working in the space, so the environment has to be comfortable. Isolated air-conditioning plants on the side of the building allow structureborne noise to be absorbed into the ground and away from the building. Wide ducting produces the same volume of air as a conventional air conditioner, but at a much lower velocity, in order to reduce noise.
The bespoke design of the doors achieves profound sound-proofing. Sand traps (similar to those used in fuel stations to prevent vapour leaks) act as a passage through which cables are fed under the door frames, without causing sound leaks between rooms.
Natural light is essential in creating a comfortable working space, as sound engineers often work 12 hours at a stretch. On the east side of the building facing the SABC, quadruple-glazed windows run down the length of the building, letting in natural light.
To create an uncluttered view of the building, the balustrades are made of hardened glass, melded into the slab and secured with epoxy grout for safety.
The bright orange steel fireescape staircase against the charcoal building gives a splash of colour to the back of the building. The basement parking has spaced red fluorescent ceiling lights emulating a runway. The toilet block is hidden by roof sheeting, giving the appearance of a ship’s bow.
“The academy now leads the field in sound engineering in the country. These quirky additions add elements of surprise, humour and fun to the overall design of the building and, together with cutting-edge technology, create a stimulating lear ning environment,” says Kraft.