| Thorburn Associates (TA), was pleased to provide improvements to the acoustics within the Hall of Flags at the National Museum of American History.
The Hall of Flags is in the main lobby for the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and is where the Star-Spangled Banner was displayed. This American treasure was recently removed from the exhibit hall in order to conduct extensive repairs. The fabric of the flag, weakened by almost two centuries of exposure to light, dust and other elements, is undergoing extensive restoration. The area where the flag hung has been enhanced with a video display highlighting the history of the flag and the exhibits within this museum.
Unfortunately, the audio associated with the video caused the overall acoustics within the facility to be too reverberant. "By carefully selecting room finishes and designing a new sound system, we were able to create an environment that enhanced the overall guest experience" states Steve Thorburn, Principal of Thorburn Associates. "Acoustical analysis conducted at the beginning of the project indicated a reverberation time in excess of 6 seconds. The goal was to reduce the reverberation time to approximately 1.5 seconds." This would improve the speech intelligibility and reduce the overall noise levels. The staff that work at the information desk in the Hall's lobby were amazed by the dramatic improvements.
TA is a full service design and engineering firm specializing in audio, video, control, and acoustics. Founded in 1992 by principals who have consulted on and managed over 1,800 projects, they provide a full range of services which allow the client, architect, or end-user a single point of contact during design and construction. The staff is comfortable providing traditional design or design/build services and is experienced with the integration of diverse disciplines and technology. |
