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High Tech Auditiorium
The massive Motorola complex houses portions of the company’s cellular operations in buildings that use the latest in contemporary, corporate design, yet do not fail to acknowledge their bucolic surroundings, particularly in the complex’s auditorium. The facility’s white metal- and glass-clad buildings can house as many as 5,000 employees at full capacity. The auditorium is integrated into a central service area that includes a cafeteria, fitness center, and in-house training classrooms. The 500-seat auditorium can provide training space as well as accommodate large-scale executive and employee meetings. Aesthetically, the project architects began with an unusual feature for this part of the facility: A stage backed by a south-facing wall of glass overlooking the farmland beyond. “The company wanted to take advantage of the wonderful view, so we expanded upon the request for a glass-backed stage by incorporating a number of elements that encourage a real transparency between the inside and the outside,” said Michael L. Breclaw, AIA, Director of Design at Chicago-based GEC Design Group, which designed the entire facility. “Clerestory windows disengage the roof from the walls, while horizontal and vertical slot windows break down the walls and diminish the sense of enclosure.” Motorized, semi-transparent “solar shades” and solid “blackout shades” can be lowered to block off light and outside views when needed. Arching overhead is a zinc-clad roof that shelters the structure like a giant umbrella. GEC wanted to reinforce the monolithic feeling of the roof by continuing the look of the zinc to the inside. As a result, the ceiling material they chose was very important. “We looked closely at our options and chose USG CELEBRATION™ Metal Ceiling Panels in Silver Satin because they offered the sleek look we wanted and were the only panels available to meet our acoustic and mechanical needs as well,” Breclaw noted. The ceiling had to have both hard and soft surfaces for acoustics, so GEC and acoustical contractors Just Rite Acoustics, Inc. and M. Ecker & Co. used CELEBRATION™ Solid Aluminum Panels where sound reflection was needed and CELEBRATION™ Perforated Panels with ACOUSTIBOND™ Backer where sound absorption was required. The system snapped into place in the FINELINE® Suspension system. The panels alternate in rows, with more perforated panels used in the back of the auditorium for decreased reverberation. The perforated panels also served mechanical needs, for they had to be open enough to allow air circulation from the ductwork above. USG was the only manufacturer that offered a standard, perforated panel with the openness (50 percent) that the design team required. “USG had the best range of perforations available,” Breclaw said. “And we achieved our esthetic goal of a monolithic appearance. When you look up at the ceiling, you don’t really notice the difference between the perforated and solid panels. They give a subtle, graphic quality to the ceiling.”
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