DIME
- Melinda Miller, Principal Engineer
British music industry veterans Kevin Nixon, Sarah Clayman, and Bruce Dickinson founded the rst of these modern music education schools in England, and expanded to Detroit. The 1897 historic Bamlett building now houses the new DIME campus in the heart of downtown Detroit’s Capitol Park. Special attention was needed to preserve the original architectural character of the building, including its arched corridors, memorable curved brick, and stone façade.
Neumann/Smith Architecture brought ABD Engineering and Design into the project to provide complete acoustical consulting services. All six floors of the building had experienced decay and no longer met city building codes. Previous offices were transformed into classrooms, music practice studios, and a 300-seat live music venue for weekly concerts. Along with special considerations for room acoustics, additional sound insulation was required between each floor due to the nature of DIME’s music business. The special entertainment and acoustic needs of the school required an elaborate material installation, and the latest and most effective noise control materials available.
