Description.

Rice University selected STOA to develop targeted design strategies to address the acoustic challenges at the front desk of the Great Teaching Hall while minimizing impact to existing walls, desks, circulation, HVAC, and sprinkler systems. The solution introduces a restrained intervention: a freestanding gypsum board wall composed of simple geometric planes that anchors the center of the hall and supports an L-shaped glass enclosure. Suspended acoustical panel “blades” extend from the upper walls to effectively baffle sound reflected from the existing arched ceiling. Throughout the design, STOA preserved the Postmodern aesthetic established by the original architect, Cesar Pelli, reinforcing the original color palette and reintroducing geometric forms found elsewhere in the building.