Limberlost Place
Our acoustics team faced several challenges in designing quiet classrooms and public spaces at the new home of the architecture school at George Brown College in Toronto.
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Building Quiet Into Big Timber
Our acoustics team faced several challenges in designing quiet classrooms and public spaces at Limberlost Place, the new home of the architecture school at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario. The building’s open design, mass-timber structure and generous air passages for convection-based ventilation meant that noise abatement required ingenuity and teamwork.
Starting at concept development, we collaborated with the architects to design sound-absorbing ceiling systems that reduce reverberation while harmonizing with the aesthetic vision. To limit footfall noise, we worked with the contractor to include a soundinsulating rubber layer between the cross-laminated-timber floor and the concrete overlay. And we partnered with the HVAC team to develop baffles in the large air-transfer passages to reduce intrusive noises from neighboring indoor spaces. Another creative solution? In-passage hot-water heating units that double as acoustic panels.