Joan and Andy Horner Music Hall stands as DBU's most accurate replication of any American Colonial Period historic building. This building replicates Congress Hall in which the upper house and lower house of bicameral legislature began its first meetings (leading to the establishment of Congress with the Senate and the House of Representatives). Congress Hall was also the building in which the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were ratified and signed.
This new two-story, 11,800 SF fine arts building houses a state-of-the-art audio recording studio, a music laboratory, communication department classrooms and College of Fine Arts faculty offices.
The building's structure comprises of two-story steel framing over concrete grade beams and slab-on-carton form foundation. Interior space includes classroom and office spaces. Recording spaces contain state-of-the-art design for the isolation of vibration and sound transmission. Slab areas within the recording areas are “floating,” and staggered framing techniques were utilized in the framing of wall systems.
Joan and Andy Horner Hall has been selected for outstanding design in the 2011 American School & University Architectural Portfolio. This publication features the best in architectural education design.