J O H N O ' K E E F E
B.A.Sc. M.Sc. P.Eng. FIOA
Having spent 15 years as an Adjunct Professor of Acoutics, John O'Keefe is familar with what makes a university lecture hall work. The acoustical requirements of a university lecture hall are not unlike the requirements of a multipurpose performing arts centre. They must, of course, provide good speech intelligibility but they also often serve as cinemas and, if done properly, can serve as a recital hall. One of the rooms that is is most proud of is the Lazarus Theatre in the Perimeter Institute, noted below in the links, along with other respresentive projects.
Over the years he has been responsible for the overall design of schools from Riyad to Vancouver. Sorting out the acoustics of not just the lecture halls but also the critical element of the appropriate sound isolation and ventialtion noise control in these facilities.
He is the winner of several awards, including his country's highest distinction for engineering, The Schreyer Award.
Representative Projects
Schreyer Award
Simon Fraser University School for Contemporary Arts
Benjamin and Marion Schuster Hall, Wright University, Dayton
Paul Davenport Theatre, University of Western Ontario
Soulpepper/George Brown College Renovation, Toronto
Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto
Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto
Orpheum Theatre Renovation, Vancouver
Queen Elizabeth Theatre Renovation, Vancouver
Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts, Toronto
Memberships
Fellow of the Institute of Acoustics, UK
Professional Engineers of Ontario
Acoustical Society of America
Canadian Acoustical Association
Education
B.A.Sc., Electrical Engineering, University of Toronto, 1981
M.Sc., Sound and Vibration Studies, Southampton University, 1985
john@okeefeacoustics.com