Core & Shell Archives | Cerami & Associates

August 21, 2024 by Anne Yaris

Cerami, a Trinity Consultants company, provided acoustic design for the Fifth + Broadway mixed-use development. Boasting over two million square feet, the development, which is located on the site of the old Nashville Convention Center, has become a lively hub for the city.

The development features a variety of space types including a 385,000 sf Class-A office tower; 235,000 sf of entertainment space and a 350-unit multi-family residential tower. Although Fifth + Broadway was designed with the pedestrian experience at its forefront, the development also includes a 2,400-vehicle parking garage in three separate structures. Additionally, the development has an abundance of retail and cultural areas, including the highly anticipated National Museum of African American Music. Living up to Nashville’s reputation as the Music City, the development features several performance spaces for live music including Assembly Food Hall, a premier rooftop venue that also has a selection of 30 restaurant vendors. Our team also designed the acoustics for The Twelve Thirty Club and Blanco Cocina & Cantina, giving residents and visitors plenty of options to discover the city’s best cuisine.

Our team of experts established the design criteria outlining the acoustic goals for occupied areas of each project component. For the residential tower, we provided recommendations for unit layout and partition type strategy. For both the residential and office tower, we advised on façade strategy and methods to meet the acoustical criteria. In the commercial tower we also completed an interior office fit-out for the tenant AllianceBernstein. We worked with the museum project team to develop recommendations on special assemblies required to meet the noise level criteria and established expectations for mitigating noise levels. We also developed acoustical recommendations for MEP systems, heavy equipment rooms/penthouses, and architectural systems. Furthermore, our team assisted with the lease language and designed sound separation between the development’s retail tenants, ensuring there would be no noise transference.

The finished development is a center for all parts of life — combining elements of work, entertainment, and culture for the ultimate community.

April 23, 2024 by Aleksa D'Orsi

T3 RiNo is a six-story, 235,000-square-foot T3 (Timber, Transit and Technology) office building located in Denver’s iconic River North neighborhood. The heavy-timber structure features elevated tenant-driven experience amenities and infrastructure designed to inspire and engage. It offers a range of facilities that embody health and hospitality which includes a 5,000 square-foot fitness center, hospitality-driven lobby, warm, welcoming tenant lounge, private terraces on each floor and vibrant street-level retail.

The exposed timber took center stage in the design of this office building. Cerami’s acoustical design approach was aimed at how acoustics can best complement the core and shell design of the structure to enrich the wellness of the people inside.

Signature Solution: Take a step inside T3 RiNo and you will be surrounded by expansive wooden ceilings and spacious floorplates complemented by well-weathered timber beams. Built from the ground up, the overarching mission of this T3 building is to create healthier workplace communities designed to inspire collaboration, creativity and innovation. However, finding the perfect combination of sustainability and sound while harnessing the raw energy of industrial design was easier said than done. To accomplish this ambitious vision, Cerami, part of Trinity Consultants, collaborated closely with the client to help interpret their needs and provide a design that met their acoustical expectations.

Our team expertly navigated around the wide open, exposed-wood spaces with designs that ensured acoustical criteria were achieved while preserving the sleek character of the bare timber. We integrated acoustical absorption and vibration isolation in strategic locations to mitigate mechanical system noise from filtering in and careful detailing was implemented to sustain the proper level of sound and impact isolation for every floor. The mechanical floor was completely isolated to minimize the noise and vibration transmission to the office spaces. Environmental analysis was conducted to develop a custom-designed glazed façade to ensure external noise stayed out.

T3 RiNo has achieved true sustainability through LEED, WELL, WIRED and ENERGY STAR® certifications.

April 18, 2024 by Anne Yaris

In recent years, there has been a shift in the way companies view the traditional office space and how it should support the overall organization. Many firms now seek functional spaces that reflect their unique corporate culture, values and goals. Designed by world-renowned Danish architecture firm 3XN in partnership with award-winning architectural firm WZMH Architects, T3 Bayside is a 251,000-square-foot brick-and-beam structure that sits at the center of Toronto’s vibrant Bayside community. Adjacent to this will be a planned twin building which will provide a rare opportunity for companies to build a true urban corporate campus experience and accommodate future growth.

Signature Solution: The common challenge with any mass timber core and shell project is finding the right balance between sustainability and the need for acoustic separation. How do we isolate the mechanical floor from the office floors? How do mass timber materials interact with the façade? What is the best way to minimize footfall noise from transferring between floors? And how do we enhance the acoustical performance of each floor without sacrificing the aesthetic design of the exposed wood and concrete? The acoustical team from Cerami, part of Trinity Consultants, worked closely with the client and the design team to develop strategies to address these uncertainties.

Each space inside T3 Bayside has been designed with a biophilic approach, which means a lot of exposed wood. Therefore, in order to maintain an appropriate level of sound and impact isolation for each floor, a small amount of concrete was utilized for the design. Our acoustical design incorporates a 0.8” sound mat above the wood floor system which is then topped with a 2.6” layer of concrete to enhance acoustical performance and minimize sound transference between floors. Acoustical ceiling criteria recommendations were also integrated within the lease language for new tenants to ensure their office spaces achieve optimized acoustical performance.

Extensive environmental analysis was performed to determine the best performing glazed façade system to utilize for this structure. Mass timber and concrete topping slabs were sealed to the curtain wall to prevent sound from traveling from floor to floor. Acoustically absorptive products were provided at strategic locations to support each space’s functionality. Furthermore, the penthouse mechanical floor was acoustically isolated to reduce noise and vibration impact on the office spaces below.

T3 Bayside is pursuing LEED Gold, WiredScore Platinum and WELL certifications.

November 28, 2023 by Timberly Dinglas

Nestled at the intersection of the High Line and Hudson Boulevard on Manhattan’s new western frontier, The Spiral is New York’s latest architecturally daring tower. The Spiral’s unique design features classic Manhattan step-backs that twist and cascade towards the sky, allowing light and air to reach the streets below, and providing lush outdoor terrace space to tenants on every tower floor.

Developed by Tishman Speyer and designed by BIG Architecture, Cerami was brought on as the acoustical and audiovisual consultant for the core and shell and interior design of this 1,041-foot high-rise. Amenity spaces, including the Clubhouse located on the top floor, and meeting spaces, were designed for relaxation and events. Tailored acoustical experiences were developed for the tenants – including Pfizer, Debevoise & Plimpton, Turner Construction, AllianceBernstein, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) – to ensure each space achieved its signature sound.

Signature Solution: Similar to the outdoor spaces, the curtainwall on the building serves as the primary barrier to mitigate environmental noise impact on the tenants as well as reduce noise transfer between floors. With the building subject to (E)-Designation, special consideration was placed on the façade design to optimize these conditions to provide the best possible acoustical environment while ensuring Class A requirements are met.

Cerami’s acoustical team also performed extensive measurements and analysis to assess the vibration impact of various sources – from footfall and building systems to the NYP Och Spine outpatient facility’s MRI machines. Customized acoustical solutions were applied to the building structure, building mechanical systems, and the isolation of vibration-sensitive equipment itself to achieve proper vibration control.

Ambient music that can be transformed into a high-powered audio system for events and holidays plays an integral part in setting the mood for all guests stepping into any Tishman Speyer building, especially the stunning 28-foot-tall lobby of The Spiral. Cerami’s AV team incorporated a network-based music distribution system, allowing a continuous music experience to extend from the ground floor lobby to the elevators and shared restrooms. This system also allows music to be customized to individual tenants on each floor.

The lobby features specialty high-ceiling speakers to minimize the sound reflections in the space. This creates a high-powered foreground music system for seasonal use and special events. Other speaker options include hidden backcan speakers in the restrooms to minimize the visual footprint and match the minimalist design aesthetic. Close coordination in REVIT with both the design and GC team was required to achieve an AV design that enhances the guest and tenant experience throughout the building.

November 2, 2023 by Anne Yaris

Bringing Marathon Oil’s workplace into the twenty-first century to support the way they work today, and more importantly, the way they’ll work tomorrow, was our goal as the acoustic designers of this Class A trophy headquarters. Cerami had the unique opportunity to control potential untenable noise from the adjacent highway, as the Core & Shell and the interior space designers; an outstanding collaboration of façade construction and interior sound masking.

With flexibility as the mantra, almost all walls are demountable, and the sound masking system was designed to seamlessly adapt to changing room placements.

Signature Solution: Marathon Oil’s new headquarters features podium-level L- shaped balconies over the urban plaza, embedding these showcase terraces into the CityCenter scene. It’s these balconies that showcase how important acoustics are to the overall design of this building. Munoz + Albin envisioned the glass wall terrace with open air gaps in between each individual glass panel. To achieve this beautiful aesthetic, Cerami simulated glass alternatives needed to block out the noise from 80 MPH traffic about 200 feet from this mixed-use gathering area. An example of how to make the visible, invisible, today, all are able to enjoy the giant terrace on the fifth floor and see, but not hear, the traffic from the Katy Highway, setting a new standard in acoustic engineering.

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