ACOUSTIC and design aspects of the Melbourne Recital Centre and the MTC Theatre project have earned the consulting engineers Arup gold for Specialist Services at the 2009 Association of Consulting Engineers Australia Awards for Excellence.

Arup provided acoustics, theatre planning and theatre technical systems advice from feasibility stage through to the completion of project construction. With engineers also experienced as musicians and performing artists, Arup provided specialised consulting with the depth of understanding required to deliver the acoustic and theatre aspects of the project.

Arup worked closely with the builder during construction to ensure that the acoustically critical aspects were understood and integrated into the construction. Close collaboration with the architect was required to develop the internal geometry and surface treatments for the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall, with vibration management and isolation solutions being used to achieve the careful control of street and building services noise levels.

Vibration from passing trams presented a major engineering challenge. Arup’s SoundLab was used to demonstrate the effect of tram-induced vibration and its impact on performances in the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall. This analysis and auralisation prompted the decision by the designers to structurally isolate the space using a ‘box in a box’ approach with the inner concrete shell supported by 38 spring assemblies.