The DBD Structures team, including President Brian Gaunce was given a vacant building, a concept, a tight budget, a tight schedule and a question: “Can you make this work?”
	The intricate sound attenuation boxes required to soundproof a building filled with 155 rehearsal studios not only worked acoustically, but it made the mile of ductwork the unifying architectural element in a utilitarian building.
	It’s one thing to come up with a creative design for DBD Structures. It’s quite another to get the job done on time and within budget. John Oster’s leadership and management skills made this happen.  go to article

The Proof was in the Budget Discipline ... 

Marina Meets A Creative Design Challenge For DBD Structures

Soundwave Studios’ customers are often bands on a shoestring budget making the move from the family garage into a sound-insulated rehearsal space. Developer Peter Sullivan Associates needed a design and construction solution for their 68,000 square foot warehouse property in Oakland that satisfied Soundwave’s severe studio rental rate constraints. Peter Sullivan and Scott Schadlich of Peter Sullivan Associates knew that if anyone could meet this creative challenge it would be San Francisco-based design-build contractor DBD Structures, with whom they have worked for over 15 years. Brian Gaunce, the President of DBD Structures was asked, “Can you build to this price on a 12-week fast-track schedule? The studios can be minimal: clean, dry, safe and acoustically isolated.” DBD Structures, together with Murakami/ Nelson Architects and Marina Mechanical, kept at it through successive rounds of creative value engineering. Well, minimal turned out to be strip fluorescent lights, no interior finishes and tempered air ventilation. 

“Conventional HVAC design approaches were impossible given our budget,” reports Marina design engineer Vince Aiello. “The building was originally a warehouse with no HVAC system, but it no longer needed its windows and skylight, so we used them for our exterior penetrations. By providing less than 10 BTUs per square foot of tempered air, Title 24 and its expensive requirements did not apply.” It was ingenious, and the cost savings got DBD Structures the job. 

DBD Structures found Marina to be an ideal partner for this unusual, complex, fast-paced project. “Marina does negotiated work for repeat customers, just like we do,” Brian says. “They have performed every time for us. They understand how to work with our customers. They did a fine job of coming up with a solution, showing us several different design approaches. Their prices are stable and competitive. They plan ahead and minimize surprises.” 

“Most of the folks at DBD Structures have degrees in engineering or architecture,” Vince observes. “They know the impact of our recommendations and are able to steer their projects to an optimal solution.” 

“Marina took the time to properly lay out each room,” Brian continues. “We worked together with a sound consultant. My greatest fear was sound transfer between studios through the duct system. Soundwave was blown away by the quality of the result. More sound comes through the doors than the ductwork! The look of the ductwork is part of the aesthetic appeal of the space.”  

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