Email #76 – Old Noisy Room 202

Here's what's happening in Rm. 202, that long narrow review room with the loud bus noise and poor sight lines for everyone but the jury. The new room has the same shape as the old but will be a studio instead. I'm not sure what the new number is, but for me it will always be "Room Two-Oh-Two."

There's no Pajama Party on the east wall of Rm. 202. That means there will be no insulation at all between the exterior brick east wall and the new gypsum drywall. In the top two photos looking south you can see the new steel wall framing and the historic brick wall. Next comes the drywall without the Pajamas, also known as fiberglass acoustic/thermal insulation. Drywall installation started Feb. 26 and ended today on Feb. 28, as seen in the bottom photo.

Why no insulation as we saw in all the other rooms?

I'm told that the insulation for the interior walls (see previous "Pajama Party" emails #54 and #56) is for acoustic insulation only, even though the Johns-Mansville product being used is advertised for both thermal and acoustic insulation.

There will be thermal insulation on the ceilings, but there will not be thermal insulation on ANY of the exterior walls at Architecture Hall, including this one. But if any exterior wall needed acoustic insulation, it might be this one to minimize that accelerating bus noise outside the windows on Stevens Way. It is especially bad in late afternoons during the outgoing commute.  Perhaps we should buy a white noise player, or similar acoustic system, for the new 202?

Also, note that white regular drywall is being installed in the bottom photos, not the water-resistant green board. Moisture seepage through the brick will not be a problem, I'm told. A major leak through a crack or hole- like the one that had damaged the old wall - would be a problem, regardless of the type of drywall installed.

Sorry to stack four photos in one email because I know that it opens too small on some PC screens. Let me know if that is happening to you.

The building is moving very quickly now. And I'm missing the auditorium action!

John Stamets
Feb. 28, 2007

See also #10, #13 and #76a