ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS DESIGN is one of the specialty design services offered by Kehl Associates.  We provide specialty design services for all types of facilities.     

Kehl Associates Invited Back for Second Performance  Acoustical Treatment Additions at St. Paul’s Palace Theatre  The recent renovation of St. Paul’s Palace Theatre was a sure success for this 3,000-seat theatre, originally constructed in 1916 for vaudeville performances.  However, some of the recommendations made by the Acoustical Consultant for the project, Kehl Associates, could not be implemented during the renovation due to budget constraints.  Although the enormous balcony received priority attention, including acoustical ceiling baffles and acoustical draperies, budget did not allow for acoustical treatment in the under-balcony areas or for the front side-walls.  First Avenue, the operator of the venue, was very pleased with the acoustical treatments in the Balcony, designed by Kehl Associates.  When time and budget allowed for additional acoustic treatment, Kehl Associates was invited back to design matching acoustic treatments for the lower side-walls and for the under-balcony Mix Location.To concerve funds, Kehl Associates recommended that First Avenue enter into a Design-Build agreement with sister company, KSG Sound & Video.  In conjunction with Kehl Associates, KSG performed design of the new acoustical treatments. Acoustical testing was performed and acoustical treatment materials were selected to match the absorption requirements defined by the test results.  Acoustical treatments were designed and placed such that they would reduce mid and high- frequency reverberation without reducing low-frequency reverberation, which was already adequately controlled.  The lower-level sidewalls were treated with acoustical draperies to aesthetically match the existing Balcony draperies, while being acoustically less absorptive to maintain low-frequency reverberation.  ASI Soound silencers were used on the Mezzanine Level sidewalls.  For the under-balcony Mix Location, KSG plank baffles were cut and fit to the ceiling on site as pictured in the photo below at the left.  Kehl Associates and KSG called on Oertel Architects, the architect on the original renovation of the theatre, to offer advice and direction regarding best methods of attaching support hardware to the fragile 100-year-old plaster walls and ceilings.  The project was  successful in matching the acoustics of the under-balcony Mix Location to those of the main theatre.