sacrifice size for symmetry? or go with accordian vibe....

I'll try to explain this clearly....I can't seem to get my quark/jpeg small enough to post. I have a control rm (13.5'x13')and a live room(15.5'x17) in the works. My problem is in the steel work. I have three sets of 4"x4" wide steel beams set anywhere from 18"-2'2" in from the walls. Basically, a steel room within a room... Since I want to float my floor,etc (and build a room within a room within a room :roll:), I obviously have to stay away from these bad boys. If I went with a more traditional plan (staying inside all of the steel), I would be sacrificing a good amount of space. An alternative would be to create angled soffits (which would definitely be a major drag to not only frame but screw 3 sheets of sheetrock onto). It would be nice to avoid floating the room and concentrate on just sealing up the walls, but I share a concrete wall with a neighbor. I'm going to be tracking bands a lot of the time so space & keeping thy neighbor happy are the top priorities. Are there any opinions on this issue? Is it vital that my control room is symmetrical? ps. if anyone has image posting tips for this guy, they would be appreciated! Thanks, Tom

Clarification please. Are these beams (horizontal pieces under the ceiling) or posts (supports from the floor to the ceiling)?

they're running from floor to ceiling. I'm not as concerned with the steel that's running across.

Hi Tom, A drawing would help immensely. If you're running Windows, you can open your jpeg in Paint [ Start -> Programs -> Accessories ] and resize it there [ Image -> Stretch/Skew ]. Otherwise, send it to me and I'll post it. In any case, it's certainly feasible to float a floor around the columns. Are you building the floor out of wood, or laying concrete? Thomas

Thanks for the reply Thomas, I just need to add a little more praise for this site and thanks for all the help you guys are giving all of us newbs! My donation is coming soon! To answer your question; 1st we'll pour a subfloor, then float a wood floor on top of that. I think I'm on the verge of figuring this out...check out what I have so far. all measurements and angles are close but not exact.

How about something more like this?

that would be ideal, but wouldn't steel columns coming through the room mess up the concept of isolating the room from the structure? if I went the riser route rather than floating the entire floor, would that compromise things much? I'm mainly concerned about the neighbor that lives on the other side of one of my concrete walls. T

Yeah - lottsa columns :x Maybe build around them like this. cheers John

thank you both very much for the drawings :D John, in your drawing, is the vocal booth on the same level as the subfloor or is the column running through the floated floor? I'm sure I'll have more questions after I get some sleep! T