The Atlantis

Overview

Located in the heart of Washington, D.C, the Atlantis is a small music performance venue informed by D.C.’s unique history of supporting local, national, and international independent artists. The venue is owned and operated by I.M.P., the independent concert and promotion company that also operates the 9:30 Club, Anthem, and Merriweather Post Pavilion. WSDG was brought on from the beginning of the project due to its past work on prior I.M.P. venues, and partnered with CORE on the architectural design.

Program

The WSDG Design Team was tasked with interior room acoustics and isolation design, the latter of which was especially critical as The Alantis neighbors a large residential building to one side, and the historic 9:30 Club on the other. WSDG was also heavily involved in the construction administration process ensuring tight coordination between the consultants, GC team, CORE, and Washington D.C.’s Department of Buildings.

Design

The Atlantis is a three story, 3500 sf/325 sm venue with a 450 capacity, making it ideal for intimate, high-energy musical performances. The main room has a raised stage and a balcony viewing area, with sound reinforcement provided by d&b Audiotechnik line arrays. The WSDG Design Team modeled the main room during the design phase and designed interior acoustic treatment for a low reverberation time that would provide a comfortable and lively sonic atmosphere for both performers and attendees. In addition to this, extensive structural and airborne isolation strategies were implemented within the wall build-ups to ensure that the concerts at the Atlantis would not disturb their residential neighbors, and additionally not be impacted by the events held at the 9:30 Club next door with which they share an exterior wall.

Photo credit: Ron Ngiam