High vaulted ceilings are a challenge to acoustical engineers looking to control, direct and amplify sounds to create a dynamic listening experience. LMN Architects approached the design for the new Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa with an acute understanding of the construction limitations. They needed lightweight, yet rigid material that could be fabricated and hung in the open space in order to provide the right acoustics, integrate in the lighting and fire safety systems, and provide an inspiring experience true to their bold vision.
Metal composite material proved to be the perfect solution for this complex problem. In partnership with fabricators at Shaffner Heaney Associates, Inc, 6mm-thick ALPOLIC®/fr Metal Composite Material (MCM) was designed, fabricated, and installed to meet all engineering concerns and exceed the design expectation in bringing colorful swarms of kites to life.
Throughout the design process, the LMN Tech Studio employed a 3D parametric model to simulate how ALPOLIC® MCM could best provide sound scattering and absorption at the Voxman. The end result helps university musicians achieve the desired acoustic effects during performance.
The kites add rich color and functionality to music rooms without interfering with hanging lights and fire sprinkler systems. Photo credit: Mitchell Stier
To create the 946 detailed components adorning the high ceilings of Voxman’s main music hall and two large rehearsal rooms, Shaffer Heaney fabricator Mark Haab and his team digitally cut 36,000 square feet of ALPOLIC® with a fire retardant core. The unique installation also permitted other systems - lighting and fire sprinklers - to penetrate without interfering in the overall look of the design. "It was unlike any composite job we've done or seen anyone else do, and we knew it was something special the minute we saw the architect's plans," said Haab.
Six different colors, four of which were custom, all using Lumiflon® FEVE resin, add a touch of brilliance to the spaces within the building. While these aluminum "kites" appear to float in the sky, much the like the music filling the rooms, they contribute important elements to the functionality of the music rooms.
“This process and ALPOLIC® MCM has really become a calling card for us,” said Steven Van Dyck of LMN Architects. “We’re exploring and find we can make it do almost anything.”
"It's really a masterpiece, from the architect’s concept through the execution," said Haab of the overall project. "We took something that was very challenging and unique and out of the box and got it done."
Project Details: University of Iowa, Voxman Music Building
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Architect: LMN Architects
Exterior Panel Manufacturer: ALPOLIC® Materials | Mitsubishi Chemical Composites America, Inc.
Product: 6mm, ALPOLIC/fr®
Coating: Custom Colors
Industry: Education
Related Stories
| Jun 8, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for renovation at Tufts School of Dental Medicine
Project receives LEED Gold certification.
| Jun 8, 2012
Chestnut Hill College dedicates Jack and Rosemary Murphy Gulati complex
Casaccio Yu Architects designed the 11,300-sf fitness and social complex.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| Jun 1, 2012
K-State Olathe Innovation Campus receives LEED Silver
Aspects of the design included a curtain wall and punched openings allowing natural light deep into the building, regional materials were used, which minimized the need for heavy hauling, and much of the final material included pre and post-consumer recycled content.
| May 31, 2012
2011 Reconstruction Award Profile: Seegers Student Union at Muhlenberg College
Seegers Student Union at Muhlenberg College has been reconstructed to serve as the core of social life on campus.
| May 31, 2012
New School’s University Center in NYC topped out
16-story will provide new focal point for campus.
| May 31, 2012
Perkins+Will-designed engineering building at University of Buffalo opens
Clad in glass and copper-colored panels, the three-story building thrusts outward from the core of the campus to establish a new identity for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the campus at large.
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
| May 24, 2012
2012 Reconstruction Awards Entry Form
Download a PDF of the Entry Form at the bottom of this page.