T O R R I N G T O N C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
Great Torrington School and Sports College
An example of Gale & Snowden Architects working with an acoustician, working with the learning and community organisations and applying environmental management measures in performing contracts.
This is a new performing arts, drama and music centre, together with a humanities unit. The drama and music facilities include several practice rooms wrapped around a music classroom, recording studio and performance hall, which will also be used by the community. This will be used for chamber music, concerts, recitals as well as school and community drama productions.
An integral part of the design team is an acoustic consultant enabling the design to achieve excellent acoustic quality for the function of such a acoustically critical building.
Specific issues relating to the acoustic design include resolving sound break out from the practice rooms into the central music classroom and sound insulation between spaces. The recording studio is an acoustically dead space with associated issues relating to windows and doors between the spaces. A very high level of sound insulation has been attained. For the performance hall (200 capacity) we have addressed issues of sound break-out, reverberation, the internal acoustic character of the hall and the general sound quality of the space. There are also sound recording facilities within the performance space. To achieve this we are working closely with Faber Maunsel’s Acoustic Professionals.
As part of all our school projects we are well versed in standard details required to provide good sound insulation and compliance to BB93.