How They Did It: Gray and Black

With help from the Erskine Group, Union Place transformed a multi-use basement into a dedicated home theater. The client, “an enthusiast who embraces technology,” according to the integrator, had an existing Control4 system “and wanted to build around that.”

The sound system, an immersive Dolby Atmos 9.4.4 configuration, delivers its punch via Triad speakers and Rythmik subs. Oversized, insulated ducts keep HVAC noise at bay, and the sound isolation in this room is extensive: Clips, bass traps, cavities filled with play sand, a solid-core door with weather stripping and sealed thresholds, and an enclosure around the Epson projector all help keep the room separated from the rest of the home.

This basement retrofit required the team to remove two windows and isolate the noise from a sump pump (and add water sensors to ensure that pump failure wouldn’t lead to bigger problems). All the content systems — Tivo, Apple TV, Roku, and Blu-ray — were upgraded to 4K. The project took a Finalist nod in the 2018 CEDIA Awards (Home Cinema, Level III, Americas).