Home Email List of Projects Project Sites and Links Articles Robert Davis Biography Roberts Wesleyan College - Rochester, New YorkThe Cultural Life Center at Roberts Wesleyan College includes the 1000-seat Andrews B. Hale Auditorium and the Robert Shewan Recital Hall. The auditorium is used primarily for music, especially choral music, as well as for theatrical programs and events for the spoken word. The stage is equipped with a full proscenium fly tower, stage rigging, orchestra shell, the most modern dimming and control technology, and over 200 stage lighting fixtures. It can accommodate most major performing arts touring companies including dance, ballet, drama, and opera. Acoustical features of the auditorium include:
Robert Shewan Recital HallThe recital hall provides excellent acoustics for choral and instrumental classes, for rehearsals, and for intimate musical performances.The large volume of this hall (106,000 cubic feet) avoids excessive loudness and provides appropriate reverberation. The combination of an overhead canopy and the very high ceiling provides mixing and early reflections, allowing individual performers to hear themselves, hear other individuals, and hear other sections of the ensemble. Performers hearing other performers is important in all music rooms, but is especially important for student musicians in rehearsal. Vertical sound diffusing elements on the overhead canopy and diffusion by an array of sound absorbent wall panels further optimizes the hearing environment. Daylight is provided. Daylight and exterior views were valued as an important element in a good classroom environment, and they enhance recitals. Mechanical noise control relied on accurate early strategic planningControl of air noise and machine noise was planned from the start to provide critically needed low mechanical noise levels. The auditorium was designed for RC-20 and the recital hall for RC-25. To achieve these goals economically each element of the air handling system was selected to be quiet and was remotely located. Based on each space's room criterion, air ducts were sized and acoustically lined to attenuate fan noise and not cause turbulence noise. The planning of economical acoustical isolation was the longest critical path in the design timeline and involved every member of the design team.Architect: SWBR Architects of Rochester
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