LSE New Academic Centre

London, UK

Grimshaw

The LSE New Academic Centre is a building housing new lecture theatres for the LSE as well as a large central atrium, offices for professors, meeting rooms and catering areas.

Several acoustic challenges were encountered, notably with the entrance tunnel designed as an open street on Kingsway, a very noisy boulevard in London. The acoustic design of this tunnel was the subject of a specific study with an auralisation of the different options proposed in the Arup SoundLab in order to demonstrate that the chosen option with a treatment absorbing sound down to the low frequencies was suitable for the place.

Another challenge with the lecture theatre located under the central atrium and the need to isolate it appropriately from the impact noise generated by walking.

Client: LSE

Architect: Grimshaw

Acoustic Design: Arup

Role of Sébastien Jouan: Project manager and Project Acoustician for Arup

Arup Acoustics Team: Ian Knowles, Sébastien Jouan

Delivery: 2008

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