Cultural, Residential, Adaptive Reuse

The life-long music enthusiast wanted to create an artist’s retreat while providing the best recording studio experience in Cincinnati. The building is situated on the edge of a densely wooded site that overlooks the surrounding area, a stone path from the rear of the building provides access to clearing in the trees where a fire pit engages the senses. As the site slopes up toward the main studio entrance a cantilevered soffit extends down simply to emphasize the entry. While the 2,100sf studio addition matches the scale of the existing residence it is differentiated by the subtle masonry color gradient across the front of the building. The mass of the sand filled masonry and the additional interior stud wall provide the required sound isolation from any outside disturbance. The recording studio layout, developed by Haverstick Designs, is driven by acoustic deflection and sightlines between the control room, live room, drum room, and vocal booth. Each sound isolated room has its own stud wall framing and multiple layers of gypsum board to maintain acoustical separation. Contrasting wood tones complement the other varied tonal values of the interior finishes. Lighting plays a key role in the experience of the space, all managed from within the control room. Scene selectors allow for an unlimited number of lighting configurations utilizing direct and indirect track lights, recessed soffit lights, and a color changing light strip. The overall intimacy of the space provides inspiration, comfort, relaxation, and focus needed to unleash the artist’s creativity. The owner, along with his two sons, have created a space with enough embodied creative energy to impact generations of musicians, hence the name, Legacy Soundworks.