One of the most prestigious venues in the world, the entertainment schedule at the Grade II-listed building reads like a who’s who of popular music — having hosted the likes of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, and Jay-Z over the course of its 127-year history.
But its success hasn’t been easy. Built in 1890 by a steel mogul, 60 years after it opened Carnegie faced a financial crisis. Luckily, a planned demolition was halted at the last minute by one of the greatest instrumentalists of the 20th century — Isaac Stern, who brought the institution under the oversight of the city. Since then, a trust protects it for the next generation of A-list artists. After securing the hall’s future, the violinist Stern pronounced: “Everywhere in the world music enhances a hall, with one exception: Carnegie enhances music.”
So when the iconic venue faced its most recent renovation — adding another four floors and a host of state-of-the-art features aimed at helping rising talent through the ranks — the entire building had to be brought up to date.
Upstaging the original
“The experience of the concert-goer has to be flawless,” explains Richard Nowak, Vice President of Strategic Projects. “And technology has allowed Carnegie Hall to go from being the best concert hall of the last century to being the best concert hall of this century.”
But underneath the venue’s attractive art deco exterior, its security, fire, air-conditioning, and temperature systems were in desperate need of an update. Richard and sales team members Richard Crane and Paul Parisi were brought in to work on parts of the restoration, but it soon transpired that — in order for it to be fully integrated — they would need to create an entirely new building management system. One that would support the existing infrastructure and legacy systems, while enabling the introduction of the very latest in building technologies.
A lifetime of holding center stage
The venue’s reputation is summed up by the ‘Carnegie joke’. No one knows its origins for sure, but it goes like this: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.
The building’s upgrade certainly led with the need to support burgeoning talent, and with 24 music rooms, one big enough to house an entire orchestra, the new Resnick Education Wing marks a new future for the venue. By converting existing apartments into practice areas and teaching studios, the venue’s numerous off-site activities could all be brought together under the same roof. Each room has its own heating and cooling system, meaning sound can’t travel through ducts, while new reading and listening rooms allow visitors to browse the hall’s collection of historic recordings.
Making it a showstopper
Lasting four years, the team worked tirelessly to ensure there were no hiccups, but as with any project there are inevitable learning curves. “We had to respond quickly to any changes, delays or surprises. Meaning that our plan of attack regularly changed,” says Richard.
Doors that continually revolve with high-profile performers coming in and out of the building mean the walls needed to not only be acoustically sound but also safe. “We learned a lot about the customer’s use cases when designing and programming the security systems,” says Richard. “So we came up with a solution that granted staff, visiting celebrities, and musicians temporary and controlled access within the space.”
Richard believes the audience should never know what’s going on behind the scenes: “When executing the project it was a challenge to work within the blackout dates so that performances could continue to be held around the renovation. All this needed to be seamless to the concert-going public.”
A tough act to follow
Tearing down any part of the 19th-century building and starting again was never an option for Carnegie Hall. But without the original blueprints for reference, the team were constantly coming up against quirks in the initial construction. And it wasn’t always easy; when the seventh floor of one side of the building lines up with the eighth floor on the opposite side, running wires between levels became a mammoth feat.
“It was a renovation, integration, and construction project all in one,” explains Richard, whose team scrutinized every inch of space to create a system that not only reduced maintenance and energy costs, but also complemented a very specific set of needs.
“Artists deserve the most outstanding spaces to rehearse and perform,” he says. “Many performers, especially those whose vocals are sensitive to environmental conditions, have to be very conscious of this.”
The show must go on
The team had to constantly come up with new solutions. Timelines, deadlines, and objectives continually shifted, as layers of old and new technology were harmonized. The principle underpinning the entire $3 million project was simplicity. If an existing system functioned well, why change it? “It was about preserving what works while bringing Carnegie into the digital age,” says Richard.
But it’s not good enough for the building to exemplify 21st-century design; it has to set a precedent for how we preserve heritage for future generations. “Carnegie Hall is now one of the oldest buildings to receive a LEED Silver Leadership certification,” says Dave Hopping, President of Siemens’ North American-based Building Technologies Division.
The result is an intuitive building, combining ease, security, and efficiency, while flaunting Carnegie’s prestige. Preserved cast-iron stairs, original steel trusses, vaulted ceilings, window casings, and fireplace mantles are all on parade, while behind the scenes, an intricate network of systems makes the entire building a breeze to navigate.
Richard Nowak has worked for Siemens for almost 20 years, and is currently Vice President of Strategic Projects, North America. He leads a team that uses their intellectual capital and technical capabilities to maximize buildings’ intelligence and performance, while reducing operating costs. Find out more about working at Siemens.
Photography: Robert Alexander, Kevin Mazur/WireImage, Bill Ray/The LIFE Picture Collection all courtesy of Getty Images
