Located on a 20-acre tract of land in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the new Harley Davidson Museum is a 130,000 sq. ft. museum development with retail spaces, restaurants, and special event and exhibition facilities housed in three primary structures: the Annex, the Museum and the Retail Buildings. The Museum’s Gala opening coincided with Harley’s 105th Anniversary in 2008, and the Museum speaks volumes to its fans throughout the world. Memorabilia lovingly preserved now rests in permanent exhibit space and tells the tale of what has become a universal fascination with the “bike.” With hundreds on display, including the Serial Number One from 1903; the “King Kong”; and Elvis’ 1956 model, this creative space is more than beautiful buildings–it is a destination.
The Annex Building includes administrative offices, workshops, and flexible exhibition space used for a variety of events. Kirkegaard worked on room acoustics and mechanical noise control to accommodate concurrent activity in the multi-purpose exhibition space and the workspaces.
The Museum Building has three floors including main level and mezzanine exhibition spaces, as well as galleries and several conference rooms. Kirkegaard’s work involved room acoustics and mechanical noise control for the large volumes, with an additional focus on isolation and coordination with AV systems. The conference rooms required special attention be paid to surface materials and configurations to create a welcoming environment for presentations.
The Retail Building includes a retail space, restaurant, and special event space. Kirkegaard focused on controlling the background noise and loudness buildup within the special event space and sound isolation for the special event space from other spaces within the building.
