Located just 200 feet from LaGuardia Airport’s Runway #4, Vaughn College qualified for funding from the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aircraft Noise Abatement program.  The acoustical solution involved a building-wide renovation to achieve the program’s goal of mitigating aircraft noise from instructional spaces. Critical upgrades to the building facade including acoustical windows, roof replacement, structural reinforcement and exterior wall cladding provided the opportunity to unify the exterior of the sprawling building and give the College a distinctive presence in the community.

Improving access to the school, a new student entrance was added from 23rd Avenue.  The two-story addition’s curved roof hovers over the glass enclosed entrance with a signage wall hiding space for new mechanical equipment.  The College saw the construction as an opportunity rather than a disruption to normal operations and with the prudent application of additional college funding, other College enhancements including the two-story Library and Learning Resource Center were completed at the same time. With a large acoustical skylight above the central open stair bringing light into the center of the reading room, the library has become a destination for students to study, learn, lounge and power-up.