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WSDG delivers acoustics, AV systems and technical interior design for La Caja de Música at University of the Andes

La Caja de Música is the latest musical practice, recording, and film-mixing facility at University of the Andes (Universidad de los Andes) in Bogotá, Colombia. Officially opened earlier this year, the project combines prize-winning architecture by former University graduates, as well as acoustics and AV systems design by WSDG.

WSDG was contracted to deliver structural acoustics, isolation and room acoustics, AV systems design, as well as Technical Interior Design (TID) for the entire project. Conceived as a multifunctional hub, La Caja de Música brings together music education, performance, recording, and cinematic sound production. At the heart of the facility is the 1,399 sq ft (130 sqm), triple-height live room, designed as both a recording space and a flexible venue for recitals, ensemble rehearsals, and lectures.

“La Caja de Música was designed as the architectural metaphor of a music box that unfolds and envelops its surroundings with melodies, offering visitors a uniquely immersive sensory experience from within”, explains Santiago Lozano, Director of the University’s Department of Music.

The acoustics and technical performance of this signature space were central to WSDG’s work. “This room needed to operate as a live recording space and as a venue”, says WSDG Senior Partner and Co-CEO Sergio Molho. “It had to support everything from orchestral sessions to lectures, which meant full isolation, large-scale variable acoustics, and absolute flexibility.”

To achieve this, WSDG implemented a room-within-a-room construction for complete isolation from the busy campus environment, a critical requirement given the room’s extensive glass facade facing a public courtyard. In addition, motorised acoustic banners and movable wall elements allow the room to adapt instantly from a tight speech-focused acoustic to a reverberant musical environment.

Lozano emphasises the technical ambition: “Music simply sounds better when the spatial volume is greater, that is why we have a three-storey-high studio. We can record full orchestras, large ensembles, or small chamber groups with first-class equipment.” The live room also features retractable seating, enabling intimate performances and screenings.

Attached to the live room is a fully equipped control room designed by WSDG to support Dolby Atmos and stereo workflows. The space features a monitoring system with Adam Audio studio monitors, custom diffusers, NC20-level isolation, and a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired interior palette that visually ties back to the main room.

On the upper level, WSDG designed a Dolby Atmos film-mixing theatre, complete with ISO booth and educational cinema seating, creating a facility enabling students to work with immersive, object-based audio. “This will allow us to produce audio for film and other audiovisual projects at the highest professional standard”, notes Lozano.

WSDG’s design extends across the entire facility, including isolation booths, technical rooms, AV systems specification, interior materials, theatrical lighting support, and integration of a complex technical infrastructure hidden neatly within architectural elements, particularly the uneven ceilings engineered for low-frequency control and to discreetly house lighting and technology systems. “We followed strict standards appropriate for both professional studios and educational facilities”, Molho concludes.

(Photos: WSDG)

www.wsdg.com

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