Kansas City Museum

The Kansas City Museum is located in a historic 35,000-sf, 1910 Beaux-Arts style mansion, originally owned by business and civic leader Robert A. Long. The museum is currently undergoing extensive renovations and repairs.

AVANT ACOUSTICS provided the following services:

• Room acoustics consultation
• Mechanical/electrical noise control
• Audio-visual and paging systems design
• On-site system commissioning including operator training and assistance during the first use

Project Highlights:

AVANT ACOUSTICS provided acoustical and noise control consulting for the Grand Hall, Billiard Room, Grand Stair, Salon, Library, and other spaces.

In addition, AVANT designed a multi-zone, multi-source background music system for general ambiance, as well as audio communication (paging) as needed. The loudspeakers were selected to coordinate with the architecture. The entire system can be controlled via the portable main station or wirelessly via iPad. In addition, AVANT designed a presentation and conferencing system for the Board Room.

Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Facilities: Museum
Client: International Architects Atelier
Designer: Andrew J. VonFeldt

21c Museum Hotel

A historic Kansas City hotel and restaurant have been redeveloped as the 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City. The space includes a boutique 120-room hotel, contemporary art museum, 6,200 sf of flexible event space, bar and lounge, fitness center, and chef-driven restaurant.

AVANT ACOUSTICS provided the following services:

• Audio-visual systems design
• Construction administration

Project Highlights:

AVANT ACOUSTICS designed integrated audio-visual systems to provide the functionality and flexibility required by the multi-purpose facility. The system design was also closely coordinated with the project architects to maintain the aesthetic vision of the historic facility with modern finishes. The systems designed include the following:

• Video projection and display systems
• Sound reinforcement systems
• Audio conferencing systems
• Facility background music distribution system
• Integrated AV control system

Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Facilities: Museum, Event Space, Hotel, Restaurant, Fitness Center
Client: Hufft Projects
Designer: Edouard G. Charland & Andrew J. VonFeldt

KidScape Acoustics

KidScape is a 3,500-sf interactive history exhibit for children at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center. An extremely popular attraction, it can get quite noisy when filled with kids, which is why Johnson County contacted AVANT ACOUSTICS for help.

AVANT ACOUSTICS provided the following services:

• Room acoustics consultation

Project Highlights:

Constructed primarily of concrete and gypsum board with an exposed metal decking, KidScape lacked sufficient sound absorption. After conducting a site visit, AVANT recommended the addition of custom-cut and colored cloud- and star-shaped acoustical panels on the ceiling to reflect the existing outdoor theme in the space, as well as some acoustical wall panels for additional absorption.

AVANT estimated that installing these treatments would reduce the reverberation time from an uncomfortable 1.8 seconds to the recommended level of 1.0 seconds at 500 Hz.

Location: Overland Park, KS
Facilities: Children's Museum Exhibit
Client: Johnson County
Designer: John M. Hodgson

Wichita Art Museum

This addition to the existing 1935 structure of the Wichita Art Museum included a 6,000-square-foot Great Hall, expanded meeting rooms, and banquet facilities with a full-service restaurant. The focal point of the space is a hand-blown glass sculpture suspended from the room’s ceiling that was created by renowned artist Dale Chihuly.  

Financed by donations from 165 companies, foundations, and individuals, the addition helped to expand the museum’s collection of American art to over 5,000 pieces. 

AVANT ACOUSTICS provided the following services:

• Room acoustics consultation
• Sound reinforcement system design
• On-site system commissioning, including operator training and assistance during the first use

Project Highlights:

The new Great Hall’s glass walls and high-coffered ceiling posed an acoustical challenge. Using discretely placed absorptive materials and loudspeakers, AVANT was able to provide an aesthetically pleasing space with excellent speech intelligibility. 

Location: Wichita, KS
Facilities: Exhibit Space
Client: Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey Architects
Designer: Previous Employee