The 138,000-sq-ft Lindenwood University Fine and Performing Arts Center in St. Charles, MO, will feature a 1,200-seat main auditorium and many amenities.
 
“I found out a long time ago that if we use ToughGard R Duct Liner on a project, our noise problems are solved,” said Dennis Emory, project manager for Charles E. Jarrell Contracting. “Whenever I compare the noise reduction coefficient of all the duct liners on the market, ToughGard R always comes out on top, and that’s why we use it.”
 
Posting noise reduction coefficient (1.0) and R-value (8.3) numbers, ToughGard R is a durable fiber glass duct liner used primarily as acoustical insulation in HVAC sheet metal ducts to absorb unwanted crosstalk, equipment and air rush noise. The product can be used in most types of heating and cooling duct systems, operating at velocities of up to 6,000 fpm and temperatures to 250°F. ToughGard R also provides excellent moisture and mold resistance, and is 40 percent more water repellant than standard duct liners.
 
“ToughGard R Duct Liner is an excellent choice for this project because it not only provides the superior sound absorption that theaters require, but also the thermal efficiency and protection from moisture and the mold growth that often results from it,” says Renee Chesler, general manager of CertainTeed’s Mechanical Insulation Business. “We believe that Lindenwood University, as well as the future audiences at its new performing arts center, will be quite happy with the sound environment ToughGard R helps create.”
 
The project called for 30,000 sq ft of Type 150 2-in, ToughGard R Duct Liner and 15,000 sq ft of Type 150 1-in, ToughGard R Duct Liner, provided by St. Louis distributor Brauer Supply. Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Company began duct fabrication last year, and the installation is expected to continue in 2008. The entire facility is slated to be complete by this summer.
 
The Lindenwood University Center for Fine and Performing Arts is designed by St. Louis architectural firm Hastings & Chivetta Architects, and McClure Engineering, of St. Louis, provided mechanical, electrical, theatrical and acoustical engineering for the project.
 
Lindenwood University is acting as its own general contractor and Blanton Construction, of St. Peters, Mo., is the construction manager of the project. The 138,000-sq-ft building will feature a 1,200-seat main auditorium for theatrical, music and dance productions, a gallery for student art exhibits, large- and medium-sized classrooms, a 175-seat black box theater, music practice rooms, a fashion design studio, a production design studio, a high-tech video suite, dance/movement studios and vocal and instrumental music halls.