GRAS Innovation Award 2025 – Architectural Innovation Winner

The Usina del Arte is one of Buenos Aires’ most iconic cultural landmarks—a transformed power station housing a 1 200-seat symphonic hall. Seeking to understand and optimize its acoustic performance, a team of sound-engineering students from UNTREF undertook a complete acoustic survey combining objective measurement, simulation, and perceptual analysis.

Their project, “Acoustic Characterization of the Usina del Arte Main Concert Hall,” employed the GRAS KEMAR 45BM Head and Torso Simulator as the reference instrument for binaural impulse-response recording. KEMAR’s anatomically correct pinnae and ear simulators allowed the researchers to capture data representing the human listening experience from multiple audience positions.

Additional measurements were carried out using Earthworks M50 microphones, Svantek Svan 959 sound-level meters, and Svantek SV-30A calibrators, following ISO 3382-1 procedures. Parameters such as EDT, T20, C50, C80, STI, IACC, LF, LEV and D/R were extracted and mapped across the hall.

The team then created a 3D model of the auditorium in EASE 4.3, validating simulations against the KEMAR measurements to identify spatial variations and potential acoustic improvements.

This study demonstrates how GRAS’s precision binaural technology enables researchers and architects to merge objective data with perceptual insight—preserving the cultural value of heritage concert halls while inspiring new design standards in room acoustics education.