MIT
Building 4 Music Classrooms

Cambridge, MA

Sandwiched between a heavily used first floor corridor, and an iconic MIT courtyard, a row of narrow rooms was renovated to produce sophisticated Music Classroom and Rehearsal spaces. To achieve the necessary level of acoustic separation in this challenging setting, IKM not only detailed superior enclosure systems, but developed with our engineers new, independent mechanical systems for each space, to minimize air friction noise, and to isolate rooms from the corridor and from adjacent music spaces.

Within each shell, the shape, volume and finishes are manipulated to produce excellent acoustic properties for a range of uses — from AV-centered lecture use, to practice space for small vocal or instrumental groups, to a lone student using a piano at off-hours.  Working with Music faculty, we incorporated into these rooms a singular complement of integrated audio-visual tools, with monitors, screens, projectors, document cameras, and, of course, spectacular speakers.