The Knoll
CCRMA is located on the Stanford University campus in The Knoll--a building that was refurbished in 2004 and 2005 to meet its unique needs. For more information on the history of the Knoll and to see hisoric images, visit: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/knoll-renovation.
The Knoll facility includes a large space with multichannel sound for teaching, concerts, and acoustic experimentation, an adjoining control room/studio, a digital multi-track recording studio with adjoining control room, two additional studios with digital editing facilities, several work areas with workstations, synthesizers and speakers, a seminar room, an in-house reference library, classrooms, and offices. The building has been wired so that any office or workspace can connect with the underlying network. A gateway connects the network to the campus at large and also to the Internet.
Knoll Renovation
The Knoll was originally built to be the residence of Stanford President Ray Lyman Wilbur, who was elected on October 13, 1915. Architect Louis Christian Mullgardt (1866-1942), envisioned a monumental three-story, Spanish Gothic fortress, with wings extending at obtuse angles, embracing the knoll. In 1946, the building became home to the Stanford University Music Department and in 1986, CCRMA took over residence in this unique building, moving from the former Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 damaged much of the building, and the third floor was weakened to such an extent that it was deemed unsafe for occupants. For close to fifteen years, The Knoll was never completely reconstructed, and the third floor remained condemned.
A major renovation of the Knoll began in the summer of 2004, and was completed in August of 2005. The renovated Knoll provides state-of-the-art sound studios, a dedicated performance space, and "open-plan'' work areas. Historical aspects of the building were retained and revived through a plan that locates research and studio facilities where they work best and interfere least. The new building permits full-spherical loudspeaker arrangements in the new "Listening Room'', thus enabling new research in synthetic acoustical space. A 100-seat performance hall is located in one wing of the uppermost story to provide a venue specifically intended for contemporary music performance projects. The new hall accommodates larger audiences, allows better scheduling flexibility (reducing contention with classes) and incorporates the building's unique view of the Bay and surrounding hills. The renovation made the building whole and better adapted for teaching and research.
The University regained a significant landmark with improved public access. A new demo museum lobby incorporated at the entrance provides exhibits pertaining to the history of music technology. Concerts in the renovated Knoll, its historical architectural qualities, and the side-by-side interplay of art and technology are an exciting mix for the future.
Images:
Renovation Weekly Alerts (archive)
The KnollWeekly Construction Activity Alert
12/13/04-12/17/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
* Third Floor Framing
The clay tile roofing is currently being placed on the roof. This activity should last approximately two more weeks.
The acoustical floor jacks in the Listening Room were place along with the rebar this past week. On Monday the floor system for the Listening will be poured.
The concrete for the deck infills at the elevator and staircase will be poured this week.
The framing of the plywood shearwalls is in progress. This activity should continue for the next couple of weeks. To date the third floor walls are framed followed by the placement on the plywood.
The mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors are continuing to rough-in their utilities.
The structural steel beams will continue to be placed this week. This activity should last for the next four weeks. The placement of the structural steel for the stair case should occur in approximately two weeks.
* Listening Room Floor
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
12/6/04-12/10/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alert is issued to the community to let everyone know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
The clay tile roofing is currently being placed on the roof. This activity should last approximately two more weeks.
The listening room walls and steps were poured this past week. This week the acoustical floor system jacks will be placed followed by the placement of rebar and concrete. Once the concrete cures to 3000 psi, the acoustical floor system will be jacked up.
The concrete ramp on the first floor west wing was poured this past week.
The framing of the plywood shearwalls is in progress. This activity should continue for the next couple of weeks. To date the third floor walls are framed followed by the placement on the plywood.
The mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors are continuing to rough-in their utilities.
The structural steel beams will continue to be placed this week. This activity should last for the next five weeks. The placement of the structural steel for the stair case should occur in approximately two weeks.
* Shear Wall Framing
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
11/22/04-11/27/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
* Ice and Water Shield at Roof
The ice and water shield for the roof was completed this past week. The next activity will be the placement of the clay tile roofing. This should last for approximately three weeks.
The forming of the listening room steps is complete and the rebar has been placed. The placement of the concrete should occur this week. The following activities will be the placement of the isolated floor system in the next couple of weeks.
The framing of the plywood shear walls is in progress. This activity should continue for the next couple of weeks.
The mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors are continuing to rough-in their utilities.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will continue this week.
The structural steel beams will continue to be placed this week. This activity should last for the next five weeks.
* Structural Steel Placement
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
11/15/04-11/20/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to the community to let everyone know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
* Floor Box Infill
The placement of the gutter underlayment is 100% complete. The copper gutter installation is in progress and should be complete early this week. The ice and water shield for the roof will start this week with the placement of clay tile roofing to follow.
The forming of the listening room steps is in progress. The rebar for the steps and the concrete will be placed this week. The following activities will be the placement of the isolated floor system in the next couple of weeks.
The framing of the plywood shearwalls is in progress. This activity should continue for the next couple of weeks.
The mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors are continuing to rough-in their utilities.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will continue this week.
* Copper Gutter
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
11/8/04-11/13/04
This week’s activities include the following items:
* Listening Room Pit Wall Pour 11/4/04
The placement of the roof sheathing is 100% complete. The following activities will be the gutter placement, ice and water shield (waterproof membrane), and clay tile.
The listening room walls were poured this past week. The next activities will be the placement of the sound board and the concrete pour for the steps.
The placement of the cementitious fill at the floor box locations and at hollow clay tile walls will be completed this week.
The mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors are continuing to rough-in their utilities.
Additional cleaning mock-ups for the exterior of the building will be completed this week.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will continue this week.
* Shotcrete at Elevator Shearwall 11/5/04
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
11/1/04-11/5/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
* Listening Room Pit
This week the roof sheathing will continue to be placed followed by the roof waterproofing membrane and the clay tile roofing.
The placement of the roof gutter around the perimeter of the building has begun this week and will continue throughout next week (weather permitting).
The placement of rebar for the walls on the first floor will continue this week with the placement of concrete to follow. The next concrete pour will be the walls and tunnel for the listening room pit this week.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will continue this week.
The shotcreting of the shearwalls will be completed this week.
* Shearwall at Elevator
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
10/25/04-10/29/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community to let everyone know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
* Listening Room Pit
This week the roof sheathing will continue to be placed followed by the roof waterproofing membrane and the clay tile roofing.
The placement of the roof gutter around the perimeter of the building has begun this week and will continue throughout next week (weather permitting).
The placement of rebar for the walls on the first floor will continue this week with the placement of concrete to follow. The next concrete pour will be the walls and tunnel for the listening room pit.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will continue this week.
The placement of the cmu block walls will be complete this week.
The shotcreting of the shearwalls will be completed this week.
* Shearwall at Elevator
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
10/11/04-10/15/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
This week the roof sheathing will continue to be placed followed by the roof waterproofing membrane and the clay tile roofing.
The placement of the roof gutter around the perimeter of the building will begin this week and continue throughout next week.
The placement of rebar for the walls on the first floor will continue this week with the placement of concrete to follow. The next concrete pour this week will be the elevator pit walls and grade beam.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will begin this week. This work will include pinning the hollow clay tiles with a steel rod and epoxy.
*Concrete Slab in Listening Room Pit
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
9/27/04-10/1/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
This week the roof sheathing will continue to be placed followed by the roof waterproofing membrane and the clay tile roofing.
The placement of rebar will be done on the first floor footings and slabs. The placement of concrete in these areas will follow the next week.
Selective demolition on the interior of the building will continue this week. The demolition of slabs to allow for the placement of footings and the additional demolition of walls and ceilings for the installation of piping and lights will be done.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will begin this week. This work will include pinning the hollow clay tiles with a steel rod and epoxy.
* Truss Sandblasting in Large Performance Space.
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
9/20/04-9/24/04
This week’s activities include the following items:
This week the roof sheathing will be placed followed by the roof waterproofing membrane and the clay tile roofing.
Excavation of the Listening Room Pit and shoring was completed. The placement of rebar and concrete for the slab and walls will follow.
Excavation of the elevator will be completed this week. The placement of rebar and concrete for the slab and walls will follow.
Selective demolition on the interior of the building will continue this week. The demolition of slabs to allow for the placement of footings and the additional demolition of walls and ceilings for the installation of piping and lights will be done.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will begin this week. This work will include pinning the hollow clay tiles with a steel rod and epoxy.
*Sheathing of Roof
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
9/7/04-9/10/04
The Knoll Weekly Construction Activity Alert is issued to the neighboring community to let them know what’s going on in the building during the construction period and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This week’s activities include the following items:
The roof demolition is now complete. This week the roof sheathing will be placed followed by the roof waterproofing membrane and the clay tile roofing.
Excavation of the Listening Room Pit will continue this week. Currently the soldier piles and lagging are being placed, which will be followed the remaining excavation. Once the excavation is complete the concrete slab and walls will be placed.
Selective demolition on the interior of the building will continue this week. The demolition of slabs is to allow for the placement of footings and the additional demolition of walls and ceilings for the installation of piping and lights will be done.
The reinforcing of the hollow clay tiles will begin this week. This work will include pinning the hollow clay tiles with a steel rod and epoxy.
Listening Room Shoring
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
8/16/04-8/20/04
The Knoll Construction has begun! In an effort to keep the community aware of the activities taking place at The Knoll, Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let the community to let everyone know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This weeks activities include the following items:
Fencing has been placed around the perimeter of the building to designate the construction zone area. For the duration of construction, the access road in front of the building will be closed for parking other than construction.
Demolition of the third floor interior is now complete and the second floor interior will continue.
Scaffolding around the perimeter of the building began this past week and will continue this week. This will enable the removal of the roof tiles to begin in the following week. The roofing scope includes removing the existing clay tiles, strengthening the building with a new plywood diaphragm, installing a roofing/waterproofing membrane, and reinstalling the clay roof tiles.
The Knoll
Weekly Construction Activity Alert
8/9/04-8/13/04
The Knoll Construction has begun! In an effort to keep the community aware of the activities taking place at The Knoll,
Weekly Construction Alerts are issued to let everyone know what’s going on in the building and alert them of any impacts they might experience.
This weeks activities include the following items:
- Fencing has been placed around the perimeter of the building to designate the construction zone area.
For the duration of construction, the access road in front of the building will be closed for parking other than construction. - Demolition of the building interior has begun on the third floor. This week the demolition of the third floor will be complete and the second floor will begin.
- Scaffolding around the perimeter of the building will begin this week and should be complete early the following week.