Bellevue Athletic Club Opens To Critical Acclaim

Wide angle view of the swimming pool showing Topakustik treatment on the curved white ceiling and beech side wall (behind lights)

The Bellevue Club http://www.bellevueclub.com is an award-winning luxury hotel, one of only three 4-star, 4- diamond properties in the Pacific Northwest. The 150,000 square foot athletic club contains state-of-the-art equipment built for the exclusive use of members and hotel guests. The newly redesigned swimming pool features a 25-meter, ten lane, pool and a "recreational" 25 yard pool, in addition to a large whirlpool bath.

Kip Kramer, Acoustical Design, indicated that "Zena Design wanted a curved arch and their concept proved to be beautiful. This was accomplished by taking Topakustik sound absorbing, moisture resistant, wood planks and applying them to a curved surface. The Architect, Owner, and Contractor were all very happy with the way the project turned out." Topakustik planks addressed the curved shape, humidity and acoustical issues. Topakustik planks easily conformed to the gentle concave curve preferred by Zena Designs, using a special turning clip mounting system. The planks were fabricated with moisture resistant cores to deal with the high humidity levels in the pool and they provided the necessary absorption to quiet the swimming pool in a beautiful wooden design. The ceiling was treated with Topakustik 13/3 M planks painted white and the side wall areas, behind the lights, were treated with a beech wood veneer.
Beth Curtis, General Manager, Bellevue Athletic Club indicated "We are absolutely thrilled with the acoustical panels. The sound level of the room has dramatically improved and besides that the aesthetics...just beautifully
perfect!"

Photos by: Greg Castleberry

Coming soon 66
The latest restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten designed by Richard Meier at 66 Leonard St, NYC

The name Jean-Georges is enough to pique the interest of the city's food scenesters, but throw in something about authentic Chinese food and a new Richard Meier-designed restaurant and you'll set the collective culinary town atwitter. The restaurant, located at 66 Leonard Street in TriBeCa, will start taking reservations in early February.

His many enterprises range from the hautest of the haute (Jean Georges) to one of the most innovative (Vong) to a deceptively easygoing bistro (Jo Jo) to a hip downtowner (Mercer Kitchen). Though a menu hasn't been made public, Vongerichten's vowed to keep as closely to traditional Chinese cuisine as possible (or, more likely, as his refined sensibilities will allow). Large fish tanks will provide for the freshest of seafood dishes, and yes, it's looking like the restaurant will indeed serve dim sum.

66 is designed with Meier's signature white walls and Eames and Saarinen furniture. Four bubbling tanks, through which you can see the kitchen, divide crab, eel and shrimp into fresh and saltwater. In addition to the cuisine and décor, what separates 66 from other haute restaurants is that significant attention has been paid to the acoustics. While some chain restaurants rely on "noise" to create a party mood, haute restaurants should rely on ambiance and privacy to complement their cuisine. To address the acoustics, Meier specified a new absorptive finishing system, called BASWAphon for the ceiling area, which is seamless, sound absorptive and Meier white. In addition to absorbing noise, the ceiling also conceals loudspeakers, which provide a sonic menu. These new loudspeakers are flat and integrated into the ceiling finish without a hint of their presence.

RPG seminars accredited by AIA Continuing Education System
RPG now offers four AIA/CES accredited seminars on various aspects of architectural acoustics.

The Next Generation of Acoustic Finishes, Shapes and Services
   ( AIA/CES AF1011 1 LuHour )
Participants learn how recent innovation and technology has resulted in a much broader variety of architectural finishes, shapes and services that solve age-old acoustic problems in the built environment.

Acoustical Diffusor Design/Computerized Shape Optimization
   ( AIA/CES DD1011 1 LuHour )
Participants learn the basic theory and history of sound diffusion as well as why sound diffusion is so essential in critical listening environments. A variety of methods, materials and products for diffusing sound will be presented.

Minimizing Acoustical Distortion in Critical Listening Spaces
   ( AIA/CES AD1011 1 LuHour )
Participants learn how sound reproduced in a critical listening room can be affected, positively or negatively, by a room's architectural surfaces prior to it arriving at the ears of a listener. A variety of methods, materials and products for minimizing the negative distortion of the reproduced sound are presented.


Desktop Acoustic Auralization of Architectural Spaces
   ( AIA/CES CA1011 1 LuHour )
Participants learn how recent innovation and technology in computer modeling has resulted in a reliable method for predicting the quality of a room's acoustics prior to its construction. Basic theory and examples of its application in practice are presented.

RPG Invited to Lecture at AIA and CSI Conferences
We invite you to attend RPG presentations for the latest in architectural acoustic technology

RPG is proud to announce that we have been invited to lecture at the National CSI Show scheduled for April 9th, 2003 in Chicago, the TRI AIA Regional Conference scheduled for April 11th, 2003 in Pittsburgh and soon to be announced the Baltimore Chapter CSI Meeting.