AIA - Grand Valley Chapter

The new Multi-Purpose Room at the Church of the Servant in Kentwood, Michigan, incorporated a unique shape that was to be used for small and large group gatherings. Acoustics By Design engineered several acoustical solutions that met the complex demands of the space. For large group uses, the high ceilings and hard surfaces required an acoustical material that would provide adequate absorption and yet was sensitive to the aesthetic requirements. For multiple small group uses, the operable walls needed to provide adequate noise isolation for the resulting three breakout rooms.

Our professional engineers modeled the space with sophisticated software and predicted how the room would respond acoustically.  When the acoustical improvements were incorporated, the church achieved a versatile ministry space free from excess reverberation and noise pollution all without sacrificing  the space's aesthetic appeal.

Progressive AE

Challenge: To honor the existing building's spirit, geometry, and form, while enhancing he development of community by providing a variety of spaces for fellowship and interaction. - Addition to existing building designed by Gunnar Birkerts, FAIA - New lobby and flexible fellowship rooms for much-needed hospitality and community space. Corridor space is utilized to display the work of a very active community of artists - Pair of radiused glass walls serve as semi-transparent veils, which act as a threshold between the outer world and the addition - The preserved exterior of the existing building and the new ministry spaces form blocks of "village" buildings around the original "town center" - Addition's geometry is based upon gathering around the communion circle, the culmination of worship at the Church of the Servant

Acoustics By Design

The new Multi-Purpose Room at the Church of the Servant in Kentwood, Michigan, incorporated a unique shape that was to be used for small and large group gatherings. Acoustics By Design engineered several acoustical solutions that met the complex demands of the space. For large group uses, the high ceilings and hard surfaces required an acoustical material that would provide adequate absorption and yet was sensitive to the aesthetic requirements. For multiple small group uses, the operable walls needed to provide adequate noise isolation for the resulting three breakout rooms.

Our professional engineers modeled the space with sophisticated software and predicted how the room would respond acoustically.  When the acoustical improvements were incorporated, the church achieved a versatile ministry space free from excess reverberation and noise pollution all without sacrificing  the space's aesthetic appeal.