At the University of Denver’s Boettcher Center Auditorium, a renovation was done to capitalize on unused auditorium space by reorganizing the space to add two additional classrooms. This re-imagining of space allowed DU to expand their usable space without addition and save then hundreds of thousands of dollars. The renovation also allowed for new accessible bathrooms, renovation of lab spaces, and upgrades to the mechanical, power, and fire protection systems.
There were some special design considerations for annexing new classroom space from a busy auditorium. A sound wall between classrooms B and C was also essential as these two classrooms are acoustically independent of each other for the convenience of the professors and students. An STC rating of 60 is typical in this kind of situation, and because using CMU was too costly, we achieved the rating with a metal stud wall partition. The key is getting a physical separation between the layers of sheathing on either side of the wall to isolate the vibrations. In this case, the wall cavity includes two layers of metal studs, one of which serves as a plumbing chase for a new drain line.
Client: University of Denver (DU)
Project Link: Click Here
