Acoustic and Technology Consultants

Designing Quality Environments

Thorburn Associates’ New Offices in Raleigh-Durham Are a Real-Life Demo of Open Workplace Acoustics

Having outgrown its existing space in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Thorburn Associates, Inc. (TA) has constructed a new facility including some 4,000 square feet of open-plan office. TA’s new offices were designed to meet LEED CI Silver standards. The finished space is a functioning model of office acoustics for the open workplace format and, as such, a living laboratory and showcase for the acoustical products used.

The move reflects TA’s growth and expansion into new fields and new markets. "This is an exciting time for us," says company president Lisa Thorburn. “The new office space almost triples the area we currently occupy in Raleigh-Durham since opening our Southeast region office in 1998. In this time, we have added Structured Cabling, Security Systems, and Technical Lighting Design to our original services of Acoustical and Audiovisual Engineering. Our core markets now include themed entertainment venues and theaters, corporate and government facilities, retail centers, restaurants, medical facilities, academic facilities and houses of worship.”

“That we’ve built such a strong base in the Southeast region is due in large part to our hardworking staff there, headed by associate principals Jim Horn and Derek Meares,” Lisa Thorburn adds.

At the center of the new space is a large, open-plan office area, with exposed warehouse truss at 18 feet. It is ringed by private offices, work stations, conference rooms and other support spaces.

"We thought that as long as we needed to expand, we should ‘walk the talk’ - show the design community that they really can have the open warehouse look and still maintain a high level of speech privacy,” says TA principal Steve Thorburn. “It’s a matter of good acoustical design and the right product in the right place,” he explained. “We’re especially pleased that some industry vendors have recognized the value of this project as a functioning acoustical laboratory, and have validated our enthusiasm, even to the point of offering material support."

Thorburn Associates Inc. was founded in 1992. The company headquarters are in Castro Valley, CA, with satellite offices in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and in Los Angeles.