Harmonic Music Foundation Washington D.C.
Consultant- Jody Cook, SIC
Harmonic Music Studios was started by Marshall Willner and Brigette Willner as a way to connect to the community through the arts and music and provide everyone with an inspiring way to learn and participate in music. Operating as a non-profit, Bridgett and Marshall hoped to provide access to music lessons and education at a price that almost anyone could afford. When the finally arrived at the stage of building out the actual studio space, Bridgett realized that they needed to be good neighbors to the other tenants in the Chevy Chase Arcade in Washington, DC.
Bridgett contacted us for help with the soundproofing and acoustical design for their practice rooms. The basement space that was going to be utilized presented many challenges; the entire space was a concrete bunker, very low ceilings, antiquated HVAC systems, and it was a very small space to boot. The goal was to create as many practice studios possible and provide enough privacy between the rooms for the lessons to be beneficial. With construction already underway, the timeline was very condensed.
Our studio design team quickly gathered information about the space and arranged a site visit in less than a week. The project presented us with some unique challenges not seen before. This is the kind of work we like to do; our team has experience in electrical, construction, HVAC, acoustic design, and most importantly we understand how things will go together when they arrive on-site. We provided Bridgett a soundproofing design that would work, interacted with the contractor and Bridgette to remotely manage the project, and delivered our products in phases as storage space was very limited.
The project involved three phases- construction of the walls and ceilings, installation of Studio Doors for each room, and finally HVAC distribution for each room that incorporated acoustical benefits as well. Decoupled walls and the ceiling were constructed using Sound Isolation Clips, double drywall and Green Glue. The combination of isolation clips and a damping compound between drywall layers provides remarkable results at low frequency, which is the key element with studio soundproofing. We provided Studio Sliding Glass doors that are tested at STC 64, so that the excellent construction we used on the walls would not be limited by the performance of improper doors and windows. Finally, we created corner bass traps that also acted as supply and return vents- one of each for every room. This design was brand new for the project, and we now use it repeatedly for studios and home theaters. We needed low frequency sound absorbing and air flow, with very limited space, we were able to accomplish both in one step.
Harmonic Music Foundation is doing well, they are constantly growing and evolving their business to meet the needs of their clients, the community and the every changing music scene!
