The Schoenecker Center at the University of St. Thomas heralds a new era in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education, fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach. This expansive 130,000 SF facility is designed to encourage interaction among students and faculty from different fields, integrating innovative labs, flexible workspaces, and areas dedicated to the arts and engineering, all aimed at providing a holistic educational experience. The Shoenecker Center features a two-level instrumental rehearsal space for a 100-piece orchestra, a two-level choral performance area for up to 150 musicians, an emerging media program with a newsroom and studios, an art gallery, an atrium, and a cafeteria. The facility also features a two-story engineering bay with a 20-foot crane for structural testing, as well as labs dedicated to robotics, physics, biology, and chemistry. Working in collaboration with design architect, Robert A.M. Stern, and architect of record, BWBR, Jaffe Holden provided acoustic design services with a scope that included the performance hall, music rehearsal room, recording studio, podcast, and video broadcast studios.

The performance hall is a multi-use space which serves as the main rehearsal and performance venue for the music department’s choral groups and is also used for lectures, music ensembles, and events. The performance hall incorporates adjustable acoustic drapes, provided by Wenger Corporation, allowing for optimal sound quality tailored to various rehearsals and performances. The multi-use performance space can be used in several different configurations for concerts and rehearsals and incorporates a telescoping seating system. Motorized Acoustical Banners are installed in the Sarah Rose Hall Instrumental Rehearsal space and Choral Performance Hall, designed to enhance the acoustical environment by providing adjustable sound absorption. This flexibility allows the spaces to adapt acoustically to various activities, ranging from quiet rehearsals to dynamic performances, thereby ensuring optimal sound quality and clarity for all types of events held within the facility. Both the performance hall and the instrumental rehearsal space, as well as the recording studio suite, feature an artful blend of diffusive, absorptive, and reflective materials strategically placed on walls and ceilings. These elements are cleverly concealed behind a sound-transparent stretched fabric system, ensuring a sleek and uniform appearance while delivering exceptional acoustics.

“The Transform banners provide acoustic flexibility for multi-use spaces that must transition between a lively space and a dry, controlled space,” notes Matt Nichols, Principal of Acoustics at Jaffe Holden. “Deploying them in the rehearsal room, for example, helps students really hear what they’re playing and pinpoint problems.”

The recording studio features a spacious live room with generous views to the control room, isolation booth and the main atrium. Students will benefit from excellent visual sightlines when they record. The isolation booth was designed with double full glass sliding doors, similar to patio door sliders that provide enough sound isolation to simultaneously record a quiet vocalist and drummer with very minimal noise bleed.

Given the simultaneous teaching, learning, recording, and performance activities in the building, ensuring sound isolation between sensitive areas was a key design priority. The performance hall, instrumental rehearsal room, and recording studio spaces were constructed using “box-in-box” techniques, featuring wood and concrete “floating” floors, CMU and multi-layer gypsum board walls, with spring-isolated drywall ceilings. Sound-rated windows in the corridors leading to the performance hall instrumental rehearsal space and recording studio provide a visual connection to the building’s multidisciplinary academic areas while maintaining the necessary sound isolation to support concurrent activities.

The center’s design also emphasizes visual connectivity and sound isolation, achieved through the use of advanced construction techniques and materials. This balance supports simultaneous activities across different disciplines, making the Schoenecker Center a dynamic and adaptable environment. By integrating state-of-the-art technology with thoughtfully designed spaces, the University of St. Thomas aims to prepare students for the complexities of modern interdisciplinary challenges, underscoring the importance of collaboration and innovation in STEAM education.

The Schoenecker Center at the University of St. Thomas epitomizes the future of STEAM education by merging science, technology, engineering, art, and math in a cohesive learning environment. The integration of sophisticated acoustical solutions ensures that various educational and performance activities can occur simultaneously without interference, making the center an ideal space for innovative, hands-on STEAM education that prepares students for real-world challenges.

Take a look inside the recording studio where University of St. Thomas music business students collaborated to create the very first Tommie record label.