Acousti Engineering Company

Owner:

Manatee Technical Institute

Architect:

Fawley-Bryant Architects

General Contractor:

Beck Group

Scope Of Work

Situated off a busy road, the Manatee Technical Institute is striking both inside and out. It is unlike any other in the area and creates an interest for students considering futures in the trade industries. This two-story, state-of-the-art $44 million facility, boasts 210,000 square feet of space for about a dozen academic programs, including architecture and construction, culinary arts, manufacturing, information technology, hospitality, healthcare, tourism and more. As an integral part of the Bradenton-Sarasota region since the early 1960s, Manatee Technical Institute's goal for its latest campus addition is to train local professionals to help further induce growth to an already exploding region.Acousti was the ceiling and acoustical wall subcontractor for the project under supervision of Beck Group, assisting the general contractor while the job was still being developed. With experience under our belt, we helped establish realistic budgets and coordinated with the architect for design, product and overall intent, providing a one-stop shop of assistance from preparation through completion. The curved ceiling design necessitated detail while the acoustical wall panels had to correspond with elements of the building and blend away into the walls. To enhance the wall's acoustical properties, several wall panels were covered in a special acoustical fabric.

The open space that awaits guests when they first walk into the building and look slightly left is meant to induce the “wow” factor intended as a key element of grandeur for the architect and general contractor. Vaulting up past the second floor, Acousti surpassed challenges encountered in creating the curved ceiling utilizing acoustical metal with an installation team whose skilled workmanship pieced the product together seamlessly. The overall height of the install and angles of the curve was also particularly difficult, especially while working with an unforgiving metal. Time is always a factor in construction and this remained true during the interior construction of this project as well.