ANU Mathematical Sciences Institute
Engineered to perfection
To help grow Australia's cyber-security workforce and Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) capabilities to meet future national challenges, the Australian National University (ANU) collaborated with the Australian Government to build the new Mathematical Sciences Institute , a state of the art research and teaching facility.
Housing teaching and learning spaces, seminar and conference rooms and computer labs, the people collaborating in this space will contribute greatly to the future of Australian knowledge and innovation.
Creating a perfectly calibrated working environment became the unifying challenge for the project. Starting from the student hub on level one, an iconic staircase then connected a further four wings in vertical levels throughout the building.
45dB sound design solution was a holistic system that guaranteed floor to ceiling partitioning and ceiling performance through sound masking.
By controlling minimum ambient sound levels using sound masking, 45dB enabled the use of a more cost-effective partition design which not only achieved a high level of privacy between adjoining rooms, but also only saved cost by streamlining the entire interior fit out process.
“45dB designed, installed and calibrated a sound masking system across all floors, ensuring privacy of cellular offices without building slab to slab partitioning.”
- Tom Hardy
sound conditioning
Usually interior construction methods rely on the fixed components of partition wall thickness and ceiling type. The key to speech privacy is not just blocking and absorbing in this way as ambient sound level also plays a part.
In this project, WSP used 45dB’s sound conditioning technology to take control of this 3rd element and created a balanced solution of all three and took precise control over the resulting build.