Acoustical decay curve for music : hanrahan Meyers architects research into Wave Forms

WaveLine is a steel and masonry pavilion of subtle but powerful vision, with modest dimensions.  The building is located in Queens, New York and uses the contrast of its contemporary materials and graceful form to define a new place for performance and sport within an existing public housing complex.

The main façade of WaveLine is the building’s bent roof plane constructed using standing-seam galvanized steel and aluminum.  The interior is a simple, white, one-room volume for performance and sport.  The pavilion ceiling is a faceted surface expressive of the overall form of the building’s exterior. 

main elevation: WaveLine by hanrahan Meyers architects

WaveLine is a term from ship-building and physics referring to the shape most likely to glide through water without resistance.  The formal properties of the project were influenced by researches into non-resistant structures.  hMa also consulted with acoustic designer Yasuhisa Toyota whose sound calculations of reverberation times for chamber music performed in the space also influenced the roof shape.

The pavilion is 5,000 square feet, and the adjacent community center is 20,000 square feet.  WaveLine finished construction in June 2007.

  3D rendering of WaveLine