Patagon Acoustics provides consulting services in architectural acoustics and noise control.
We design houses of worship, recording and television studios, concert halls, office spaces and environments for higher education. We provide audiovisual design and noise and vibration control.
Our Philosophy
From the very moment of conception, sound events surround our daily lives. Whether listening to the subtleties of a Mahler symphony in a well-designed concert hall or assessing the sounds from our community that provide us with a sense of belonging, sound is a conveyor of emotion, pleasure and information.
The spaces where sound is produced and communicated should enhance the quality of transmission of useful information to the listener, while filtering the detrimental sounds, thus maximizing aural gratification. Precise engineering and a comprehensive knowledge of acoustical phenomena is at the core of achieving this delicate balance. Understanding the client’s vision and expectations is the basis for specifying the project’s scope, thus intersecting budget and aspirations in a realistic manner.
Patagon Acoustics’ expertise is based on years of academic and research experience at the most prestigious institutions in this discipline. Nevertheless, we do not conceive acoustical design as a mere scholarly practice. The quest for beauty, balance and harmony is always at the center of everything we do
Patagon Acoustics is a member of the National Council of Acoustical Consultants (NCAC)
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"The quest for beauty, balance and harmony is always at the center of everything we do."
Fernando del Solar Dorrego
Principal of Patagon Acoustics
Fernando began his relationship with music and sound at an early age. Raised in a musically-minded family, he started taking piano lessons at his aunt’s conservatory at the age of 8.
During his adolescence, he became interested in synthesizers and sound design and explored the music of Stravinsky and Pierre Boulez. Showing mathematical skills and a passion for physics in high school, he enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering major at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA), one of the leading colleges of engineering in Argentina.
After graduation, he was accepted as a student at Penn State’s Graduate Program in Acoustics (USA), where he obtained a Master of Engineering in Acoustics degree in 2007, being the first of his class to graduate with a thesis on the topic of sound localization in enclosed spaces. Back in Argentina, he became a faculty member of the Electrical Engineering Department at ITBA, teaching electronics and leading the blossoming acoustics division in this educational institution for the period comprising 2007 to 2016.
In 2022 he received his Ph.D., once again at Penn State, under the advice of Dr. Michelle Vigeant, principal investigator of the Sound Perception & Room Acoustics Laboratory (SPRAL). His research focused on finding just noticeable differences (JNDs) and optimal values for concert hall acoustic parameters, based on subjective preference. Fernando is an adjunct professor of acoustics at ITBA.
Melina Piacentino Castaño
Melina obtained a degree in Bioengineering at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA).
During her career at ITBA, Melina held teaching assistantship positions in several courses and collaborated in research efforts in the university.
Melina completed an internship at ITBA’s prestigious Sleep and Memory Laboratory, led by Dr. Cecilia Forcato.
Her undergraduate thesis, advised by Dr. Fernando del Solar Dorrego, involved the measurement of speech signals for speech therapy using a mobile device, as a low-cost alternative to more traditional techniques.
Melina’s contributions to Patagon Acoustics include working on the development of custom acoustic measurement devices and complex signal processing tasks. She also looks forward to building a career in acoustical consulting.
The experience of a lifetime
During the fall of 2017 and the winter of 2018, Fernando del Solar participated in concert hall-measurement trips, with other members of the Sound Perception & Room Acoustics Laboratory (SPRAL) from Penn State University. Using a novel measuring technique, which allows to capture the spatial sound field present in a concert hall seat, acoustic measurements were conducted in some of most prestigious halls of the US and Europe. Highlights included Boston Symphony Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Berlin’s Philharmonie.