Five Spot East

Virgil Moorefield is a composer and intermedia artist based in Rüschlikon, Switzerland who set out to design a new underground studio that would allow him to record with his band and also host live concerts. Flexibility was extremely important in order to accomplish all of the applications that were desired. Paul Allen at Sweetwater connected Virgil with Haverstick Designs to design the interior acoustical treatment for the studio.

The massive Live Room boasts a 50’ x 32.5’ footprint with 13’ ceilings and features a unique design element: two flexible isolation rooms created by large hinged walls. These walls can fold out from the room’s perimeter and seal airtight to enclose a drum set or piano during recording sessions. When not in use, they fold back toward the main walls, opening up the space for live performances. The Control Room is approximately 25’ x 20’ x 8’ and sits at a higher elevation as compared to the sunken Live Room.

Acoustical treatment was handled by custom stretch-fabric elements, diffusers from Vicoustic and acoustical panels from Acoustical Fulfillment. The riser in the Live Room that is used for seating for concerts is also built as a ported bass trap. The end result is a studio that allows for maximum creativity with ultimate flexibility.