[Bell Historians] Adjustable louvers

[Richard Offen]

The Trinity installation was blighted by the New York structural 
engineer who has to sign off and direct everything in NYC. The 
architects and everybody deferred to him apparently under NY law.
Not only is the frame design down to him but also the frame layout, the 
undergirders arrangement, the height in the tower, the ceiling heights 
and the original sound control.

He developed a fixation about hurricane force winds and its effect on 
the tower if it could not blow through open louvers.
He therefore dictated that the shuttering had to normalise, or fail 
safe, "open" and insisted that the metal shutters would reduce the 
decibel level satisfactorily.

He was wrong on all counts.

After the opening ringing we reconsidered the original plan which was to 
fit standard wooden doors to the louvers but now the useless metal ones 
were in the way. Plan B option was to board across the top of the H 
frame which was done. This though has effected the external acoustics 
and the original glorious grand sound pouring out into Broadway and down 
Wall Street is not there anymore even with the sound control open.
Trinity tower not only proved to be well built but also an excellent 
resonant acoustic box and the bells took their place as one on the great 
sounds in ringing.

The Rector's view at the meeting I had with him to agree the solution 
was that he would have preferred to take the risk of the shutters 
blowing in once now and again rather than go to the expense incurred by 
the structural engineer!

Andrew

As has happened with some many bell projects over the years, 'experts' who
have absolutely no knowledge or experience of bell installations rule the
day and ruin the job.

 

R

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