The skinny:
- WSDG was contracted to deliver structural acoustics, isolation and room acoustics, AV systems design, as well as technical interior design (TID) for newly opened La Caja de Música at University of the Andes in Bogotá.
- A multifunctional hub, La Caja de Música includes a 1,399-square-foot (130m²), triple-height live room, designed as both a recording space and a flexible venue for recitals, ensemble rehearsals, and lectures.
- Dolby Atmos and other technologies were included in the project.
La Caja de Música is the latest musical practice, recording, and film-mixing facility at University of the Andes in Bogotá. Officially opened earlier this year, the project combines architecture by university graduates, as well as an acoustics and AV systems design by WSDG.
[Florida State University College of Music Turns to L-Acoustics to Solve a Decades-Old Challenge]
University of the Andes launched an architectural competition in 2018 to determine the concept for the new music practice building. The competition resulted in a winning proposal by Carolina Jaimes, Juan López, and Alejandro Puentes, selected from five finalists. WSDG was invited to join the evaluation committee based on its extensive experience of designing major educational and technical facilities throughout Colombia. After the winning proposal was selected, 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-square-foot(130m²), triple-height live room, designed as both a recording space and a flexible venue for recitals, ensemble rehearsals, and lectures. 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,” said 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 façade 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. 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 an advanced facility enabling students to work with immersive, object-based audio.
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 explained. “This project demanded the latest technology, advanced acoustic criteria, and a high level of coordination with the architects to honor both performance and aesthetics.”
Now fully built and with the systems integration complete, La Caja de Música stands as one of the most advanced educational music and film-sound facilities in Latin America. “This building will allow students to engage with both the music and audiovisual industries at a truly professional level,” concluded Santiago Lozano, director of the University’s Department of Music. “It represents a national milestone and will transform how we teach through a direct, project-based experience.”
