QuietLite Windows and Doors: WGN Studios

Challenge

WGN Studios in Chicago faced a pressing acoustic challenge: isolating noise from the busy control room Operations Center from the adjacent Broadcasting Studio Room. WGN TV (channel 9) delivers essential news, talk, and sports programming, making pristine audio quality non-negotiable. The added complexity was that WGN needed the entire separating wall to function as a window providing an almost completely unobstructed view between the two spaces.

Solution

A novel approach combined QuietSwing Architectural Doors (STC 51) with QuietLite Window systems (STC 53) based on the HM-6-53 window design. The design steered the project toward a zero-mullion window system, a departure from conventional practices where sound control windows are typically segmented with mullions every 4 to 5 feet on center.

Early engagement in the design process provided critical assistance in detailing the window wall to achieve the required slope. Rather than drawing the window as a segmented, angled assembly, the team advised on how to eliminate mullions while still achieving the target NIC rating. The slope was constructed into the surrounding base and head framing, enabling installation of a standard rectangular window assembly without intermediate structural supports.

Results

The QuietLite windows and QuietSwing doors exceeded expectations, effectively isolating the broadcasting studio from the operations center. The window wall tested to NIC 48, confirmed through third-party testing at Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories. The project completed ahead of schedule in March 2023. Subsequent verification testing conducted in April 2023 reaffirmed the system's sustained performance.

The WGN project demonstrates the value of early design engagement and creative engineering in overcoming sound control challenges where both acoustic performance and visual transparency are required.