On April 1st, Thorburn Associates celebrated its 18th year in business. We couldn't have gotten here without your continued support and encouragement. Thank you!

If you are attending InfoComm in Las Vegas, NV, (June 5-11) and want to benefit from attending some of our educational sessions register online at www.InfoCommShow.org.

Acoustics Master Class (Session #IST7) – presented by Steve Thorburn, Tue. June 8, 8am-3:30pm

AV Systems Integration Issues for Owners / Facilities Managers (Session #IS07) – presented by Steve Thorburn, Wed. June 9, 8-10am

Acoustics in Architecture (Session #IS98) – presented by Steve Thorburn, Wed. June 9, 2:30-4:30pm

Defining the Perfect Teaching Station (Session #IS30) – presented by Jim Horn, Wed. June 9, 2:30-4:30pm

Conducting Acoustical Measurements (Session #IW06) – presented by Steve Thorburn, Thu. June 10, 8am-noon

Presentation Facility Design and Integration, Part 1 (Session #IS51) – presented by Derek Meares, Thu. June 10, 10:30am-noon

Presentation Facility Design and Integration, Part 2 (Session #IS110) – presented by Derek Meares, Thu. June 10, 2:30-4:30pm

Space Planning / Room Design for Videoconferencing Systems – Designing a Total Environment (Session #IW08) – presented by Lance Sturdevant, Thu. June 10, 12:30-4:30pm

Outside of InfoComm, we will be at several industry events in the upcoming months. Please look us up and say hello.

• AIA North Carolina Golf Cart Sponsorship - Raleigh, NC, May 10
• EduCause Southeast Regional Conference - Atlanta, GA, June 2-4
• AIA National Conference - Miami, FL, June 10-12
• CEFPI North Carolina Chapter Conference - Raleigh, NC June 22 -23

As always, it is our goal to make sure that Thorburn Associates is your single point of contact for all your Technology and Acoustical Design services. If you have an idea, question, or suggestions, please drop us a note at enews@ta-inc.com.

Modern bowling alleys have transitioned from the stale, smoky lounges of decades past to family entertainment centers that offer a variety of activities. Frequently, bowling alleys are now part of larger buildings such as shopping malls and even mixed-use developments that include residences. This shift has brought with it a host of noise and vibration concerns for both bowling alley owners and their neighbors.

In a bowling alley there are two different types of noise that must be considered: steady-state noise and impulsive noise. The sound system, used for typical background music and announcements, and also for louder, popular rock ‘n bowl events, is the primary source of steady-state noise. Impulsive noise results from the crack of the bowling ball striking the lanes and the pins.

The transmission of both types of noise to adjacent spaces can be reduced through the use of standard construction methods. However, in bowling alleys the impulsive noise is typically much louder than the steady-state noise. Additionally, a sudden, impulsive noise seems louder to most people than a steady-state noise even when the two are actually the same volume. These two factors combine to make it more difficult to effectively reduce the transmission of the impulsive noises from bowling alleys. This results in much more substantial construction and planning than would be required to reduce the steady-state noise transmission from the sound system alone.

To help mitigate both types of noise, special floor-ceiling and wall constructions must be used to reduce the noise transmission. These constructions can include massive structural slabs with resiliently hung finish ceilings and double wall constructions. The noise produced by the sound system can be of particular concern if retail spaces or residences are located above the bowling alley in a multistory building. In these cases, the loudspeakers should be located below the finished ceiling to minimize their impact on the spaces above.

In addition to the noise concerns, vibration produced by the bowling ball striking the lane and by the equipment setting up the pins for the next frame can also be transmitted to adjacent spaces. Using a floating floor system is typically the best way to reduce this problem. This system should consist of a neoprene or foam isolation system placed on the existing slab or grade that is then topped with the ‘floating’ finish slab to support the interior structure. The floating finish slab is then effectively isolated from the rest of the building, reducing the impact of vibration on other parts of the building. This system is only necessary under the area where the bowling lanes are located. Standard slab construction can be used underneath other portions of the bowling alley such as the seating areas, the bar, or the kitchen.

By following these design and construction practices, noise and vibration transmission from bowling alleys can be effectively controlled and allows the facility to be integrated in larger developments without annoying the neighbors.

It is a common question: Should I have it designed or should I just go to a vendor to have the technology installed? When you break the question down, it comes down to Design (Planning) or Contracting (Building).

Are design services needed? Yes, in all cases. It might be as simple as pointing to a spot on the wall where you want the control panel, or to the ceiling tile where you want the projector. But that is still design, and in most cases this is where design build in the audiovisual (AV) world should end.

We were asked by two different architects through our GSA Schedule 58 for audiovisual technical design to work on two almost identical projects. Both were major renovations: one for the Army in North Carolina, the other for the Air Force in Alaska. Both were briefing rooms for the base command, seating over 40 people in each room, requiring multiple displays with multiple sources.

The room in North Carolina was about three months ahead of the Alaska project. Our feeling was positive – we could take our recent work and apply it to the second space. The program submitted by the GSA Procurement Officer was almost identical line by line. However, it wasn’t that easy. It seems that the Alaska project’s electrical contractor knew a source for the table boxes that were requested, and felt design services were not necessary.

Because of that we lost the Alaska project. It is likely that this project, which is now lacking the AV design component, will require modifications down the road to achieve the intended outcome, which ultimately translates into more cost for the taxpayer.

It’s important to remember with any project that “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pitiful Poor Performance” and that makes any architectural or engineering design, including audiovisual, a total success.

Patrick Gallegos of Gallegos Lighting , now a Thorburn Associates Studio, unveiled his most recent project at the California Science Center on March 25. The museum’s new wing, called Ecosystems, surrounds guests with the sensations of each Ecosystem environment, eliciting an appreciation for different environments on Earth and how humans interact with them.

Nearly ten years in the making, this new permanent exhibit wing allows visitors to experience a blend of live animals and hands-on science experiments in 11 distinct environments. The 140,000 square foot expansion nearly doubles the exhibit space at the Science Center and includes two floors of administrative offices. Unique to science centers in the United States, this facility includes a 2,500 square foot desert zone with a programmed flash flood and an 188,000-gallon living kelp forest among its environments.

Gallegos Lighting worked from concept to completion designing all lighting for the interior architecture, the grand atrium, all dry and wet exhibits, and administrative offices. Key to the success of the project was the close collaboration between Gallegos Lighting, the Science Center creative and operational staff, and the project architect EHDD/ZGF, a joint venture.

“As in most museum-type spaces, lighting plays a key role in how exhibits are perceived. The lighting at the California Science Center allows the guests to experience each unique environment as a new destination,” explains Patrick Gallegos. Sensations of warmth, coolness, humidity and dryness all had to be conveyed and supported through exhibit lighting. The project also included 60,000 square feet of administrative office lighting.

We came across a new product from RP Visuals (www.rpvisuals.com) that may be the answer to your screen problems. The bendable ULTRAFLEX projection screen ships in a cylinder as small as 40-inches in diameter. Once on-site, it is unrolled, tensioned and installed. The largest installed size available is 96-inches high x 300-inches long.

The small shipping size allows for installation in tight spaces, and the flexible screen works well on curved (concave or convex), contoured (S) and cylindrical applications. The flexible screen is perfect as a replacement for a damaged glass screen that cannot be replaced due to access limitations. The screens are appropriate for both front and rear projection.