Jaffe Holden

03/26/2025

We are thrilled to share that Jaffe Holden is now part of Trinity Consultants, a global leader in environmental consulting services and design for the built environment. This marks an exciting new chapter for our firm, bringing expanded opportunities for growth and innovation. By combining our expertise in acoustic and AV design with Trinity’s extensive resources, we can elevate our service offerings and deliver even greater value to our clients through access to a broader range of services and a deeper network of industry experts.

As a small business, joining Trinity empowers us to grow while preserving the personalized service that has defined Jaffe Holden. We remain committed to our core values of inspiring sensory experiences and delivering exceptional acoustic and AV design solutions tailored to our clients’ needs. We are excited for this new journey and look forward to continuing our work together, stronger than ever.

Read more: https://www.trinityconsultants.com/news/trinity-consultants-acquires-jaffe-holden

01/29/2025

Sound quality is the cornerstone of an unforgettable performing arts experience, from the clarity of a monologue to the dynamic range of a symphony. Achieving the perfect balance is essential, though in many cases achieving that balance can be a challenge due to spatial limitations. Electro-acoustic enhancement systems are an innovative solution that enables venues to optimize soundscapes with precision and flexibility and transform how sound is experienced.

With these sophisticated systems, such as the Meyer Sound Constellation system at Cornish College of the Arts’ Raisbeck Auditorium, the ability to fine-tune sound to suit different performances can be made possible with minimal physical modifications to the venue itself.

Learn more on our website: https://www.jaffeholden.com/blog/redefining-venue-potential-the-benefits-of-electro-acoustic-enhancement-systems/

Images c/o Benjamin Benschneider and Meyer Sound

12/19/2024

As 2024 comes to a close, Jaffe Holden would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our clients, friends, and family who have supported us throughout the year. As we look ahead to 2025, we are filled with excitement and hope for what's to come.

Our team celebrated the season together with family at our annual holiday party last week and we wanted to share a few highlights with you.

Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a prosperous, healthy, and successful New Year!

11/26/2024

The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) at Oregon State University is a versatile venue featuring multiple performance and exhibition spaces that integrate cutting-edge acoustic and audio/video design by Jaffe Holden.

The center features the 490-seat Lynne Hallstrom Detrick Concert Hall, designed for optimal sound quality with custom motorized acoustical banners from Wenger Corporation that enhance clarity and reverberation control, and the Edward J. Ray Theater, a black box theater offering flexible configurations for smaller performances, classes, and exhibitions. These spaces reinforce the venue’s commitment to superior performance standards.

Jaffe Holden provided acoustic and audio/video design services on this project in collaboration with Holst, Theatre Projects, L-Acoustics, and Wenger Corporation.

Read more about the project here: https://www.wengercorp.com/projectprofiles/patricia-valian-reser-center-for-the-creative-arts/

Images c/o Wenger Corporation

11/13/2024

During the recent Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) North Central Regional Conference in Minneapolis, the sold-out tour of the Schoenecker Center at the University of St. Thomas attracted a diverse group of over 50 attendees, including architects, engineers, and college and university representatives, all eager to explore its innovative design. Madeline Didier represented Jaffe Holden and provided a behind-the-scenes look into the acoustic design of the new STEAM facility.

With Jaffe Holden’s local presence in Minneapolis, it was a privilege to share our acoustic approach with a community of design and education professionals from the region.

Learn more about the project on our website: https://www.jaffeholden.com/blog/integrating-creativity-and-technology-the-steam-complex-at-the-university-of-st-thomas/

10/31/2024

Mark Holden and Matt Nichols recently attended the enlightening and informative 60th annual conference for the International Council for Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD) in Montreal. Since 2015, we at Jaffe Holden have been proud members of this extraordinary organization that promotes excellence in arts education and a commitment to fostering leadership within academic arts institutions.

Hosted at Concordia University and McGill University, the event gathered arts leaders to explore key education, leadership, and cultural engagement issues. Jaffe Holden sponsored a fascinating keynote session on Engaging the Arts for Healing, Leading and Being with Dr. Chris Reina (VCU) and Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Lisa Wong. In addition to panel sessions, we enjoyed visits to notable venues like the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the McCord Stewart Museum, and immersive experiences at The Phi Centre, a cultural hub in Old Montreal.

We look forward to attending the conference in Santa Fe next year!

10/10/2024

Last week, Mark Holden had the distinct privilege of presenting a lecture on acoustic design for performance halls to the students of the Core 3 Integrate Studio at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. The Harvard GSD educates leaders in design, research, and scholarship, with a mission to build a better world that is resilient, just, and beautiful.

Many thanks to Eric Höweler, FAIA, Professor of Architecture and Director of the Master of Architecture I Program, for inviting Mark to present to his class. Eric is co-founding Principal of Höweler+Yoon Architecture, a research-driven, multidisciplinary design studio working between architecture, art, and media. H+Y has a reputation for work that is technologically and formally innovative, and deeply informed by human experience and a sensitivity to tectonics.

Learn more about the program here: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/

09/24/2024

The Schoenecker Center at the University of St. Thomas heralds a new era in STEAM education, fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach. This expansive 130,000 SF facility is designed to encourage interaction among students and faculty from different fields, integrating innovative labs, flexible workspaces, and areas dedicated to the arts and engineering, all aimed at providing a holistic educational experience.

The integration of sophisticated acoustical solutions ensures that various educational and performance activities can occur simultaneously without interference, making the center an ideal space for innovative, hands-on education that prepares students for real-world challenges.

Read more about the project here: https://www.jaffeholden.com/resources/blog/

Attending Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) in Minneapolis next month? We'll see you at the sold-out tour of the Schoenecker Center on October 21st!

Design Architect: RAMSA | Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Architect of Record: BWBR
Acoustic Banner Manufacturer: Wenger Corporation

09/19/2024

Take a look inside the Field Arts & Events Hall, the first of three structures dedicated to arts, culture, and science at the Port Angeles Waterfront Center, situated on the beautiful coastal Olympic Peninsula by Puget Sound in Washington. Positioned as a cultural focal point rooted in the city's natural splendor, it introduces a fresh performing arts venue and community space along the waterfront, aiming to support various local arts organizations and enrich Port Angeles' creative community.

Jaffe Holden provided acoustic design services on the project, including adjustable acoustic elements that enable the room's transformation from a recital hall into a theater to serve the wide-ranging events, festivals, and music ensembles that will take place at the venue.

"The jewel of Field Arts & Events Hall is the 500-seat theater."
-Steven Raider-Ginsburg, Executive and Artistic Director, Port Angeles Field Arts & Events Hall

Architect: LMN Architects
Theater Consultant: The Shalleck Collaborative

LMN Architects in collaboration with Strange Life Productions interviews the team behind the Field Arts & Events Hall. Field Arts & Events Hall, the first…

09/17/2024

The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center in Detroit celebrated its grand opening last week with a vibrant mix of live jazz performances featuring local and international artists. This new state-of-the-art venue at Wayne State University, named after the late jazz patron Gretchen Valade, aims to honor Detroit's deep-rooted jazz heritage while fostering future musical innovation.

"The center features three distinct spaces for events. The Detroit Jazz Hall seats 325 and was designed and tuned acoustically, for jazz, by Mark Holden and his firm Jaffe Holden. Downstairs the intimate Dee Dee Bridgewater’s, named after the Grammy Award-winning singer who began her career in Flint, Mich., can hold 120 in a club setting, with an attached Detroit Jazz Festival Cafe for spillover. Upstairs is a VIP-style lounge, named for Chris Collins by a benefactor, that will host intimate performances and other gatherings."

“This was built with jazz in mind, but it doesn’t have to be jazz to be in there,” explains Chris Collins, the university’s Gretchen C. Valade Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies and the President and Artistic Director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. “It’s a variable place. The idea is to encourage and help facilitate artists from all over, in different genres, to create, to integrate, to consider — maybe even to investigate the jazz world.”

The opening of the Valade Jazz Center marks a new era for Detroit's cultural landscape, inviting residents and visitors to experience the dynamic world of jazz in the heart of the city.

Read more about the project here: https://venuesnow.com/new-venue-jazzes-up-wayne-state/

Design Architect: HGA
Architect of Record: Hamilton Anderson Associates
Theater Consultant: Apeiro Design
Acoustic and AV Design: Jaffe Holden

Image c/o Shawn Wright / Wayne State University