The building’s environmental model, which achieved LEED Gold, finds synergies between program, use, and building systems. Fed through a geothermal heating and cooling system, radiant embedded plaster ceilings create a monolithic mass for acoustic isolation between levels; this reduces required duct sizes and sheet metal, minimizing acoustic breaches and increasing room volume through higher ceilings. A planted roof garden and event space atop the recording studio decreases water run-off while its mass eliminates potential sound transmission from airlines on a flight path to Cleveland Hopkins Airport. The project’s deployment of environmental systems to address unique demands establishes opportunities far beyond LEED criteria. This project aspires to re-establish Oberlin’s rich history of architecture as a generator of new educational, cultural and social possibilities.