Image courtesy of Brian Genduso.

The James J. Whalen Center for Music is a 69,000 sf addition to the 1964 Ford Hall, on the south side of the Ithaca College campus in Ithaca, NY.  The building is named for the sixth president of Ithaca College, James J. Whalen, who passed away in 2001.  The building is designed to be an all-in-one home for the School of Music at Ithaca College.  The school of music holds a very high profile at Ithaca College, as the college was founded in 1867 as the ‘Ithaca Conservatory of Music’ and remains one of the staples of the Ithaca College campus.  The new facility contains 30 new faculty studios, a 250-seat recital hall, designed primarily for solo and chamber music recitals, choral and jazz rehearsal rooms, a professionally equipped recording studio that will also serve as a laboratory/ classroom for a new major in audio recording, an electroacoustic music suite, a music education resource center with an attached observation room for student teacher preparation, a music technology classroom and laboratory, a user-friendly library for the ensemble music collection, and a covered walkway from the upper parking lot that will provide easier access to concerts and recitals.

The Project Team consisted of;
Architect and PM– HOLT Architects, P.C., Ithaca, NY, www.holt.com
General Contractor – Welliver McGuire, Inc., Elmira, NY, www.welliver-mcguire.com
 Electrical/Mechanical Engineer – M/E Engineering P.C., Rochester, NY, www.meengineering.com
Structural Engineer – Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C., Skaneateles, NY, www.ryanbiggs.com
 Owner – Ithaca College, Physical Plant, Ithaca, NY, www.ithaca.edu

Construction began in December 1997 and reaction to the building upon its completion in August 1999 was extremely positive.  The overall project cost was $14.4 million, of which $4.6 million went to mechanical and electrical systems.

The architecture of the building exudes an appropriately scholastic feel, yet presents a slightly higher profile exterior to the surrounding campus.  A balance between education center and performance venue is sought through the use of a limestone accented brick envelope with sleek dark glass and bright aluminum framing.

"From the classrooms to the performing spaces, the teaching studios to the ensemble library, this is truly a first-class building to house first-rate students and faculty," -Arthur Ostrander, dean of the School of Music

ELECTRICAL:
     The electrical supply hookup to the facility is quite different than most privately owned buildings.  Rather than being fed directly by the utility company, the building must attach to the pre-existing campus system of electric power distribution.  The campus loops A1 and A2 come into the primary switchgear and is then distributed to the building, and also to the adjacent Gannett Library.  A total draw of 1050 kVA is possible. There is also an emergency distribution board fed by a 200 kW natural gas backup generator when the normal electric supply goes down.

LIGHTING:
     The lighting system in this facility is fairly complex.  There are numerous types of lighting loads fed by the 120/208 secondary distribution board including fluorescent, HID and incandescent.  Special lighting systems exist in the performance halls with IGBT dimmers controlling theatrical halogen lighting and electronically dimmed fluorescent house lighting.  Special attention must be paid to audible noise from ballasts as any humming or buzzing that reduces sound quality will not be tolerated.

MECHANICAL:
     The mechanical system in this facility is also fairly simple.  Two cooling towers on the roof and a centrifugal water chiller feed the cooling coils of the AHU's.  Two new gas boilers will make up the extra required load for the heating coil in the AHU's.   Most of the AHU's existed before the addition, and AHU's 7-10 were added to support separate zones in the new facility.  The new AHU's can support a total fan supply of 80,820 CFM  Sound attenuators were originally specified but were taken out for budget reasons, but acoustic insulation in the HVAC ductwork was kept as a sound controlling agent.

STRUCTURAL:
     The structural system consists of steel framing and concrete slabs on metal decks. The steel structure of the addition interfaces with the existing concrete structure of the Ford Hall in places, but remains separate when at all possible. The steel structure is supported by cast in place reinforced concrete foundations, and the whole building is held up by the ground.

FIRE PROTECTION:
     The building has both active and passive fire protection systems.  The building has an emergency sprinkler system.  The steel structure has spray on fireproofing where appropriate.  And the HVAC system has an emergency smoke evacuation mode.

TRANSPORTATION:
     There are two Otis elevators in the building.  One is centered on the south side of the facility and accesses all floors from the ground to the 3rd floor including intermediate levels where recording studios are placed.  This elevator has an increased load capacity to support the moving of heavy equipment like recording electronics and pianos.  There is another elevator in the elevated walkway attaching to the parking areas up the hill, to the south, of the new building.  This elevator is primarially for passenger use, and accesses the parking level, the second level, and the ground level of the new facility. 

TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
     As has become common in all educational facilities, there are as many, or more, internet connections as telephone connections.  RJ-45 internet connections run through the facility and connect to a main server operated by Ithaca College.  Standard campus telephone service is also installed throughout the facility.

SPECIAL SYSTEMS:
     The mechanical system also includes special support for electronic audio recording and amplification.  Analog XLR audio cables are run through the facility for permanent audio connection between spaces.  Standard 1/4" amplified speaker input cables are installed as permanent equipment.