Client story

Tianjin Juilliard School

Reaching greater heights with the construction of the Tianjin Juilliard campus

Background and client’s ambition

The Juilliard name is one of the most recognised brands in international performing arts education. For over a century, the world-renowned institution has produced some of the world’s leading musicians, directors and actors. With the opening of the Tianjin Juilliard School in October 2020, Juilliard has, for the first time in its history, ventured outside its home in New York. 

The world-class team at JLL ensured that the Tianjin Juilliard School would operate in an exceptional building and would be able to provide the “Authentic Juilliard Experience” to students, faculty, staff, and audience-goers alike.

Alexander Brose, Executive Director and CEO Tianjin Juilliard School

JLL supported Juilliard for over nine years in the development of the campus, initially providing consulting services and in-depth research on the future of Yujiapu, a new eco-city development. JLL was later appointed as the Technical Representative of the Juilliard School, ensuring that the standards specified by the school would be translated into construction on site.

As the project progressed, it became apparent that communication between the China consultants and the large consultant team in the US required international management experience, which JLL was well placed to provide. The sophisticated design and technical specifications were also stretching the contractor’s capabilities. JLL was asked to take on the project management and the complex integrated scheduling required to deliver the building.

The Tianjin Juilliard School’s key objectives for the campus included:

  • achieving stringent acoustic standards
  • the health, safety and wellbeing of the students, faculty and staff
  • sustainable materials and sustainable long-term outcomes
Approach
  • JLL’s fully dedicated team comprised construction professionals able to understand both Western and Chinese practices and to bridge the gaps between them. JLL provided the liaison between the various specialist consultants required for such a sophisticated design and construction programme. There were more than 10 sub-consultant groups involved in the project– including designers, technical specialists, schedulers and cost managers.
  • We collaborated with the architects to interpret the drawings and specifications and strictly screen material suppliers to ensure that they met the threefold objectives: sustainability, acoustics and aesthetic requirements.
  • We worked closely with the designers and contractors to create energy-saving features, which prevented condensation and improved the energy performance of the building.
  • As a leading music school, the acoustic performance of the building is naturally critical. The performance spaces, practice rooms and classrooms had to meet the American standard Noise Criteria (NC) index levels as high as NC15. The standards exceeded normal performance levels in similar facilities in China. It was critical that the contractors understood the implications before starting work, as the sequence of construction activities was central to achieving the strict standards. To our delight, and to the pride of the acoustic engineers, all the recital and practice spaces have successfully met or exceeded the acoustic standards. This makes the Tianjin Juilliard School one of the top acoustic performance spaces in China.
  • The global pandemic meant that ensuring the health and safety of faculty, students and staff was going to be paramount to the school from day one. No-contact thermometers were integrated into the design, and the fresh air system was redesigned to exceed normal specifications.
Results
  • The Tianjin Juilliard School is a world-leading music school and an architectural masterpiece. The naturally lit atriums and advanced air system provide stimulating spaces for performance and student engagement.
  • What the developer, Tianjin Innovative Finance Investment LLC, said is testament to how successful this project has been: “We highly recognise the performance of the JLL Tianjin Juilliard team in the project. The organisational structure of the Juilliard project was very complex, and there were huge challenges in the communication and coordination of design, construction, schedule and cost between all parties. The outstanding performance of JLL has demonstrated that they can skilfully resolve contradictions and break deadlocks. As we expected, their outstanding performance led to the completion of the project in an efficient and highly productive manner.”
  • Juilliard’s vision to create the best music school in China, with exceptional acoustics, performance spaces for the public and iconic architectural form has been achieved and exceeded.

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