CONSULTING & DESIGN FIRM WINS AWARD
FOR ACOUSTIC RENOVATION
The Sextant Group Honored for Renovation of Historic
Hall Built by Andrew Carnegie
Pittsburgh, PA, May 27, 2003—The Sextant Group, Inc. has received
the Historic Preservation Award from the City of Pittsburgh Historic Review
Commission for acoustic renovation of Carnegie Mellon University’s Alumni
Recital Hall. In bestowing the honor on The Sextant Group, the Historic Review
Commission recognized The Sextant Group’s balance of modern developments in
acoustical science with the traditions and heritage of one of CMU’s oldest
and finest
campus buildings.
The historic venue was originally built by Andrew Carnegie as an art gallery
and remodeled years ago as a concert/rehearsal space for the college’s world-
renowned College of Fine Arts and its symphony orchestra. Plagued by acoustical
problems since a 1960’s era renovation, the hall suffered from massive sound
reflection that greatly restricted its use. The Sextant Group’s innovative
solution involved custom design of structures that would not only solve those
problems and bestow new acoustic value to the room, but also restore
and enhance the visual aesthetic of the original gallery’s performance space.
In speaking of the renovation, Alan Fletcher, head of Carnegie Mellon School
of Music, says, "The Sextant Group transformed what was unusable space into
one of the most sought-after rooms on campus. The hall was an absolutely poor
acoustic space before renovation and virtually unusable, even for rehearsals.
Now it is the first choice for master classes and recitals. The Alumni Hall
is now central to the CMU music ensemble program, and a favorite location on
campus."
Fletcher further comments "The Sextant Group was absolutely first rate. Not
only were they wonderful listeners and completely responsive to what we needed,
but were proactive and creative in recommendations. All together, a very
happy
experience."
The work was performed directly for Carnegie Mellon University, in close
cooperation with Tom Stephenson of Landmark Design Associates. The Sextant
Group also designed Carnegie Mellon’s music engineering recording studio for
the College of Fine Arts.
In addition, the design firm is responsible for a number of distinctive
places of assembly and performance, including: the Phoenix Municipal Stadium
in Phoenix AZ; the award-winning Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Harris Theatre
in Pittsburgh; the 300-seat Kean Theatre for the St. Barnabas Health System,
Gibsonia PA; and the Robeson Center Digital Theatre for The Pennsylvania State
University in University Park PA.
The Sextant Group is an award-winning full service digital technology consulting firm specializing in design,
engineering and specification of architectural and environmental acoustics, audiovisual systems, IT,
telecommunications, security and structured cabling technologies.
Clients include education, medical, corporate, government, institutional, performing arts, broadcast, and
sports & recreation on over 700 projects for 350 owners in 36 states and 8 countries.
Recognized by architects and institutions internationally for the integration of communication technology
into the built environment, The Sextant Group was founded in 1995, and now operates offices in Atlanta,
Dallas, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh.
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