The multidisciplinary space was commissioned by Queen\u2019s University<\/a> as a means to showcase not only student work, but also world-class talent.<\/p>\n \u201cThe need for a \u2018proper\u2019 concert hall in Kingston has been discussed for decades and finally in 2014 we have a hall to call our own,\u201d writes former Director, Jerry Doiron, who programmed the first season.<\/p>\n The concept behind the space is a kind of multidisciplinary Swiss army knife, which can accommodate both teaching and public concerts, as well as provide exhibition space for the Queen’s School of Music<\/a>, the Department of Drama<\/a>, Department of Film and Media<\/a>, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts program<\/a>.<\/p>\n The structure claims an adaptable 100-seat blackbox studio theatre, a specialised film screening room, a large flat floor music rehearsal room, production studio, film edit suites, art gallery and teaching seminar rooms.<\/p>\n The crown jewel of The Isabel is the 500-seat concert hall, which flaunts an impressive \u2013N1\u2013 acoustic rating, making it an ideal space for the most delicate classical music performances, in any context.<\/p>\n It also features distinctive acoustic drapery that can be adapted with a flick of a switch to suit the needs of chamber groups, orchestras and rock bands.<\/p>\n Behind the Isabel\u2019s blue-ribbon acoustics is the US-based ARUP acoustics and audio-visual<\/a> consulting firm, who designed the hall\u00a0(in its natural state) for small to mid-sized chamber classical music.<\/p>\n The field of architectural acoustics trace back over 100 years with Wallace Sabine (1868-1919), who is widely considered to be the father of modern acoustics.\u00a0“There were also Roman texts on acoustics, and the Greeks also did amazing work on the subject. If you look at their Epidaurus and their amphitheatres, it was known that people had learned from precedent of what worked, and what didn\u2019t work, but as a modern field of science, it is basically over 100 years old,\u201d says Stoway.<\/p>\n Stoway and his partner Matt Mahon have been working on the project since its inception in 2007. Based in New York City, they have been a part of many high-profile projects, including the Oslo Opera House<\/a>, the World Trade Centre Pavilion<\/a>, the second Avenue Subway system in Manhattan and the 2,100-seat Maison symphonique de Montr\u00e9al<\/a>. They have also worked with a number of sound artists , and art gallery sound installation projects.<\/p>\n They began collaborating on the design process alongside the Norwegian firm Sn\u00f8hetta<\/a>, and Ottawa-based N45 architects<\/a> – first meeting with faculty and staff from Queen’s University, who were impressed with ARUP\u2019s vision and reputation for creating pristine acoustical environments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sat down with [Queen’s] film and drama and the music faculty in early 2008 and asked, what is this room going to be used for, and how many performances it\u2019s going to have? From that we derived what size the room needs to be to acoustically make it work,\u201d Solway said. \u201cAfter blocking out the space, we further refined the plans in a totally collaborative process.\u201d<\/p>\n They used a special 3D design modeling program to map out the proposed design specifications into a virtual acoustic space, that gave them the ability to listen to the concert hall before it was even built. \u201c\u2026We developed a space we call the Sound Lab<\/em><\/a>, and it\u2019s a room where we can recreate the acoustics of spaces we are designing or what we\u2019ve gone and measured,\u201d explains Solway. \u201cIt\u2019s a visually immersive aural environment.\u201d [\u2026] \u201cWhat was key to our approach is that we like to model through listening.\u201d<\/p>\n They also made a mockup of the concert hall using 24 of the actual seats used in the space\u00a0in the controlled environment of their advanced acoustics lab.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026Seats and people are the main absorbing elements in a room, so we measured that in an acoustic test lab and fed that into our listening process.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about the signature sound of the new Isabel concert hall, Solway described it as\u00a0intimate.\u00a0\u201cWhen you hear music in here, no matter where you\u2019re sitting, there\u2019s a clarity and intimacy where you feel like the performers are right there \u2013 there\u2019s a real visual and aural connection.<\/p>\n In terms of the best place for the audience to sit, ARUP senior acoustician Matt Mahon hesitated to define a single seating area, as it\u2019s different depending on perspective. He believes people sometimes confuse what is better visually with what is better acoustically. \u201cIt\u2019s less dramatic in the sides of the concert halls, and while you might have a better sense of intimacy and clarity when you are seated towards the rear wall, your visual intimacy is less because you are further from the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n A\u00a0noticeable aspect of the new hall is its relative lack of ornamentation. \u201cIf you look at the old classical concert halls like the Musikverein in Vienna, they have a very fine level of fenestration and ornamentation which does wonderful things acoustically \u2013 it diffuses the sounds and creates this rich diffuse sound field\u201d [\u2026] \u201cThe question becomes how do you create unique acoustic signatures using modern architecture,\u201d Solway stated. ARUP overcame this by using special wall paneling designed to shape the sound, using similar conditions that older, more ornate concert halls use to create a rich acoustic environment, but in a modern setting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Seamless integration\u00a0between the acoustics and the architecture only result from close collaboration, Solway claims. \u201cIt\u2019s only when the acoustics become more of an afterthought that you\u2019ll see Band-Aids throughout the space, such as big reflectors, or sound absorbing panels that don\u2019t work with the architecture. This is one of the reasons that we like working with Sn\u00f8hetta so much, as they will take on-board acoustical requirements without sacrificing the architectural design.\u201d<\/p>\n Another example of the close collaboration was the level of detail that went into choosing seemingly routine things like the lighting. N45 architect Gary Wentzell stated every single light fixture has to be checked by ear from the ARUP team. Nothing was left to chance.<\/p>\n One of the most\u00a0interesting features of the centre is its unique rehearsal room that incorporates a similar drapery system designed to provide a similar range of reverberance as the concert hall. After rehearsing performers can get an idea of what their music will sound like in the concert hall, even before\u00a0stepping foot in it.<\/p>\n When walking into the hall for the first time, the smell of\u00a0wood is unmistakable. Of course the Isabel’s wood-lined walls are not unique, and are found in\u00a0many new halls including Toronto\u2019s Koerner Hall<\/a>, and Montreal\u2019s Maison symphonique<\/a>. Solway acknowledges \u201c\u2026 there is a natural affinity with musicians and wood, but there are plenty of halls that historically have plaster finishes, which can arguably work just as well, but wood feels like you\u2019re connected to the space in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n Other considerations were Isabel\u2019s multiple room types, including the lobby space, the acoustics for the offices on the third floor, and the environmental sounds from the neighbours across the road. \u201cAll of these different rooms had to be thought about,\u201d Solway says.<\/p>\n When asked if\u00a0Joe Solway had heard live music in the hall yet, he confessed he plays the cello, and laughed at the prospect of playing in the place secretly one night. He even considered bringing his saxophone along a few times.<\/p>\n Both Solway and Mahon will be making a special trip from Manhattan to Kingston, to hear the space in use for the first time on September 21st<\/sup> with the Afiara Quartet and Maxim Bernard<\/a> performing.<\/p>\n They will also be taking the time to personally speak with the Afiara Quartet after the show and ask them what their perceptions of the space is like.<\/p>\n Solway says, \u201cIt\u2019s like raising a child, and going to their graduation. We\u2019ve been with this thing for the last seven years, and we need to see it graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Specialized](\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/09\/Isabel_drapes-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Acoustical](\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/09\/AcousticWallShaping-01-c-Arup-1024x662.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Rehearsal](\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/09\/rehearsal-hall_long-view-682x1024.jpg\")
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