Alexander Roehl
Senior Consultant
Philips Academy Andover announced its plan to build a new health and wellness facility after concluding its aging Case Memorial Cage and Smith Center athletic facilities were no longer meeting student needs. The academy hired Dimella Shaffer Architects who designed the new, 70,000 square foot Pan Athletic Center, which opened in late 2022. The new center features a natatorium, dance studio with spectator seating, wrestling room, Hall of Honor, group exercise, and areas for social gatherings or quiet study.
Acousticians at Acentech embraced Philips Academy’s vision of a new athletic center with modern amenities that promote overall health and wellness for students. We worked with the design and construction teams to incorporate robust isolating floor-ceiling assemblies, so that students can be active in stacked dance and exercise spaces without disrupting each other. We also coordinated other sound isolation details, acoustically absorptive finish treatments to control the buildup of activity sound, and noise and vibration control of HVAC systems to achieve appropriately quiet background noise levels.
Audiovisual consultants at Acentech designed flexible audiovisual systems throughout the building, catering to the intended use of each space. Portable video displays on carts paired with an installed sound system are used in the Group Exercise and Dance Studio to accommodate various instructional methods. A sound system with audio playback and speech reinforcement capabilities are available in all group activity spaces, including the natatorium and wrestling rooms where students train and compete. The Performance Studio features an installed sound system that is designed to accommodate the dual functions of the space, performances, and instruction, and a portable video projector to provide additional variety and dynamic backdrops for performances.
The new, LEED Silver targeted Pan Athletic Center is designed to have a positive impact on campus sustainability, student wellness and team spirit for decades to come.
