The Project:
It was the homeowner’s desire to have the ultimate home theater. But not only a space where one could enjoy movies or a televised sporting event but a quiet sanctuary where one could read the morning paper with soft music playing or have a conversation with good company without distraction. It was also required that the homeowner have the ability to connect a variety of audio/video sources such as laptops, game consoles, camcorders and other peripherals to the system. While there was a need for the room to produce great sound from within it was required that there be minimal transfer of that sound outside of it. With the high performance criteria of the room an acoustical contractor was brought in to ensure we met the homeowner’s expectations.
Many challenges were presented to all involved in this long term undertaking. HVAC supply and return ducting that passed through the space made it extremely difficult to implement sound isolation techniques. Changes to the materials used in spaces above the room during the construction of the home required a steel beam to be retrofitted in the joist space above the theater ceiling in order to satisfy the structural integrity of the residence without having to install a support column in the middle of the theater. True “room-within-a-room” construction practices were followed along with the specialized materials required to achieve very high STC ratings of the room’s barriers. Gaskets were used around the inner and outer doors to maintain sound isolation. The projector being very large and a significant source of heat and noise had to be installed outside the room’s sound isolation barrier. An enclosure was built in the soffit at the back of the room to house the projector. Anti-reflective, 98% optically pure, 12mm thick glass was used as a port hole to project through. Ducting was provided to tie the projector enclosure into the room’s air conditioning to keep the unit cool.
The odd shape of the room, being much like an elongated octagon, presented a challenge in the predictability of the acoustical behavior of the room. A JBL Synthesis 1 system was chosen to provide the high performance sound required given its highly adaptive equalization methods. Stretched fabric walls and ceiling conceal strategically placed acoustic treatments. An acoustically transparent masking screen compliments the high resolution projector with motorized anamorphic lens. A Kaleidescape movie player with touch screen controls gives the homeowner instant access to their entire movie and music collection. Custom input panels provide connections for HDMI, component video, composite video and analog and digital audio sources at two locations within the room.
This theater project spanned the course of nearly four years of design and construction. The combined efforts of the homeowner, architect, acoustical contractor, theater designer and all other top notch craftsman involved has produced a magnificent result. The room has satisfied all the performance and aesthetic criteria of our discriminating client.
.jpg)
