He said the acoustics were key to the design and went on: "It has dictated the use of brick which has a greater
acoustic mass than glazing".
For example, the artist's most recent show, "Guillermo Kuitca:
Acoustic Mass," at Sperone Westwater in New York, took up the archetype of a theater with nine collages, each depicting an opera house.
Concrete was selected as the primary construction material for the halls, due to its ability to produce complex geometric shapes and its inherent
acoustic mass. Due to the unique acoustic requirements of a building of this type, Connell Mott MacDonald undertook a study of the natural frequencies of potentially sensitive concrete elements to avoid vibration problems within the auditoria.
They moderate the vibration set up by endless trains, and their ameliorating effect is amplified by a sandbag wall, which provides
acoustic mass. The wall was inspired by a dusky wartime picture of London bolstered against the blitz in the Second World War.
The galleries are designed as a series of enclosed in-situ concrete boxes which give thermal and
acoustic mass to protect the internal environment which is controlled by a sophisticated Building Management System and latest technology in thermal ice storage.
The arrangement provides enough
acoustic mass and separation, and is complemented by 150mm of acoustic absorbents over all interior surfaces.
