Deerfield Academy Dining Hall

The renovation and expansion of the Deerfield Academy Dining Hall rejuvenated one of the school’s most important community spaces. Originally built in 1948, the dining hall has long served as a central gathering place where students, faculty, and staff come together for daily meals, special events, and shared campus traditions. Acentech collaborated with Architectural Resources Cambridge to update the historic building while preserving its longstanding role in the academy’s culture, traditions, and campus life.

Acentech provided acoustics consulting services for the dining spaces, serveries, meeting areas, and other gathering spaces throughout the building. A primary focus of our work was controlling the buildup of noise in the main dining hall while maintaining the lively and welcoming atmosphere that defines the space. The acoustical design needed to support large community gatherings and everyday meals while still allowing students and staff to hold comfortable conversations across the table.

Our scope included recommendations for sound-absorbing finishes and close coordination with the design team to identify materials that complemented ARC’s architectural vision.

We provided sound isolation recommendations for appropriate separation between active dining and servery areas, and adjacent meeting and support spaces that need quieter atmospheres. We also provided mechanical system noise and vibration control recommendations to limit unwanted background noise from building systems and maintain a comfortable acoustical environment throughout the renovated facility.

The completed project provides a more comfortable and functional dining environment that supports large community gatherings, everyday dining, and more private meetings and support spaces.

“My number one concern about our dining hall renovation was acoustics and let me say, if anything, the space was quiet… It was a truly delightful experience, and conversation was had around the entire table.”

– Matthew Sheehy, Chief Financial Officer, Deerfield Academy