2006 AEI Conference Tours

 

              Conference attendees were treated to two technical tours while in Omaha.  The first tour took place on Thursday March 30 at the Holland Performing Arts Center.  The center is Omaha’s new 2,000 seat symphony hall and is intended to be the embodiment of the city’s commitment to the musical community.  It draws thousands of visitors each year along with top performing artists.  The design of the facility is meant to enhance the acoustical experience for both the audience and the performers. The concert hall itself was designed with acoustical excellence in mind.  The heating and cooling ducts are located under the floor of the hall with a vent located under each seat; there is acoustical paneling that can be adjusted to fit the type of music that is being performed; and both the paneling on the walls and the floor are wood, providing the opportunity for sound to reverberate seamlessly throughout the hall.  A live demonstration was conducted by students of the University of Nebraska Music Department, and a presentation was given by members of the design team, including representatives from HDR and Kirkegaard Acoustics.  After the presentation and a short reception attendees were broken down into smaller groups for tours of the individual architectural engineeringsystems of the facility. 

              The following day attendees were treated to yet another tour, this time of the Peter Kiewit Institute at the University of Nebraska Omaha.  The Institute is one of the most innovative and “state-of-the-art” facilities for Information Technology and Engineering programs in the nation.  The goal of the Institute is to inspire collaborations and fuel the imagination of the faculty, students, and surrounding businesses.  The institute draws its strength from the business community through collaboration, donation, and leasing programs that enable the Iinstitute to remain state-of-the-art and competitive in all aspects of engineering.  PKI provides its students and faculty with on-site laboratories ranging from computer simulation to lighting and acoustics to construction.  After attendees received a warm welcome from the Executive Director of the facility, Winnie Callahan Ed.D., and Architectural Engineering Program Director Clarence Waters Ph.D., P.E., they were taken on tours guided by current students in which they made stops at each lab and were given a quick overview of the research being conducted.

 

hollandpanels

Lighting System at the Holland

Performing Arts Center

 

                                                                                     Larry Kirkegaard

Larry Kirkegaard explaining to the

attendees the different aspects

of the Concert Hall Holland

Performing Arts Center.

 

PKI Lab    

One of the high-tech laboratories at the

Peter Kiewit Institute

 

 

                                                             lighting lab

A Lighting Lab at the Peter Kiewit Institute