We Design the Way Art is Heard

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Built EnvironmentBuilt Environment

Industry

Museums, Arts & Cultural

Location

United States

To support the newly expanded Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Cerami, part of Trinity Consultants, delivered advanced acoustical and audiovisual solutions that merge science and design. From immersive simulations to precise micro-perforated wood panels and an acoustically isolated performance studio, Cerami ensured that the museum’s iconic spaces sound as stunning as they look.

Challenge

Cerami was asked to address potential acoustical challenges tied to ambitious design goals for the expanded MoMA — one of the world’s most renowned museums. From the signature Blade Stair to new galleries and the first-of-its-kind Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio, the team needed to ensure spaces looked and sounded flawless despite NYC’s busy 53rd Street outside.

Solutions

At the heart of the new space is the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio, the world’s first dedicated space for performance, process and time-based art within a museum. Challenged with how to design the Studio to be impervious to NYC’s bustling 53rd Street and ensure its adaptability for an expansive variety of uses, Cerami brought this design challenge into their Immersive Studio so that the MoMA creative team could experience the experience before it was built. Through virtual simulations and numerous iterations, Cerami’s solution was a floating gallery with tilting walls, adjustable banners that can alter the acoustics, and an isolated secondary curtain wall engineered so guests will never know they are in midtown Manhattan. This silence is part of the gallery experience, art you can’t touch, but you can sense; a blank canvas to be transformed with each installation.

Services Performed

The team conducted detailed acoustical analysis using an Immersive Studio for virtual testing, designed custom micro-perforated wood wall systems, and engineered a floating performance studio with tilting walls and banners. They also integrated an isolated curtain wall to block external city noise.

Results

The newly expanded MoMA marries science and art to offer patrons immersive, acoustically tuned galleries and a pioneering studio space. Cerami’s solutions transformed complex design goals into a seamless visitor experience where performance, process, and time-based art can be heard — not drowned out by New York City.

Iconic

Blade Stair quieted

First

Preformance studio of its kind

NYC

External noise silenced