WHYY, a public media provider, serves about 1 million television viewers and over 400,000 radio listeners in the Greater Philadelphia area, southern New Jersey and Delaware. It is an NPR member station and is supported financially by its 100,000 members.

WHYY Philadelphia occupied several different locations in the city in the 1970s and early 1980s. However, in mid-1983 the headquarters moved to its current home at Independence Mall, which is in a historic section of the city.

Acentech provided acoustics consulting for the Digital Studio / Learning Lab which is used by community members of all ages. It occasionally serves as a ‘traditional’ television studio for live recordings and productions. However, most of the time it is a ‘teaching’ space for activities associated with live and taped productions.

The initial design for the Learning Lab included a high, slightly sloped ceiling. Acentech determined this surface could not serve as a primary, reflective surface directing sound between occupants as is typically preferred in space used for teaching. In addition, the proposed footprint was almost square leading to concerns about uneven distribution (and hence perception) of sound traveling between the walls in the space.

Acentech carefully modeled the space and after reviewing the proposed uses and acoustical expectations, provided guidance on suitable ceiling and wall finishes. The acoustics in the Learning Lab works very well for the users.