Acoustic Solutions for Reflected Sound in Buildings

It is very common to find high levels of reflected sound in buildings. This makes it difficult to hear people speaking because it generates high levels of background noise when lots of other people are talking in the room. The solution is to install a specialist type of acoustic ceiling panel or wall tile. This can greatly reduce the level of reflected noise and considerably improve the acoustics of the room, making communication much easier. This sound control solution can be applied wherever reflected or reverberation noise is a problem. Common examples include: restaurant, industrial offices or control rooms, school classrooms, dining or music rooms, office, pub, sports and hotel conference rooms.

The type of acoustic panel or tile, its material, size, location and area of coverage are all critical in achieving the optimum acoustic conditions and the best sound control solution. We can assess all these factors and determine the optimum acoustic solution and type of sound control panel or product for any particular room or building.

We normally use an acoustic panel system that provides a particularly high noise reduction. In previous projects this has proved very successful, and our acoustic solutions have achieved very high noise reductions.

Example:
At Cheam independent school near Newbury, Berks (Berkshire), high levels of reflected noise made communication difficult in a dance and drama studio, resulting in complaints from the teacher about the room acoustics. We determined the optimum type of acoustic panel, its thickness, location and coverage area. The result was a specialist type of acoustic absorber panel fitted to the ceiling (none were needed on the wall areas). This achieved a very large reduction in the reflected sound, greatly reducing the background noise from children talking / performing, and making it much easier for the teacher to make herself heard and to control the class. There have been no more complaints from the teacher since installation of the specialist type of acoustic ceiling panel.

Soundproof acoustic door seals were also fitted to the double entrance doors to reduce the noise transmitted from the school sports hall below. The combination of this plus the acoustic ceiling achieved a very large noise reduction.

Example: We were asked to help with a control room in a flour milling machine area. High noise levels were causing complaints from workers. We designed and installed a high performance acoustic ceiling and also sealed some gaps in the control room walls. This produced a 6 – 7 dBA noise reduction in the control room. The acoustic ceiling panels transformed the room acoustics and produced a huge improvement in the subjective impression of the noise. After installation, workers said they were pleasantly surprised and very pleased at how well the acoustic treatment was performing.

Our Building Acoustic Solutions

For an acoustic solution to be effective, it is very important to install the optimum amount of acoustic material, panel or tile, and to apply the material to the most appropriate surface (usually the ceiling, wall or both). There is a delicate balancing act. If too little acoustic material is installed, or if it is not installed in the best location(s), reflected noise will still be too high. Then, the background noise will remain too high and communication will remain difficult. If too much acoustic material is installed, there will be too little reflected sound and the speaker will need to shout to be heard at the back of the room. So, obtaining specialist advice from an independent expert can be invaluable in ensuring a satisfactory acoustic solution. We can provide that advice – we take great care to get the balance right.

We aim to provide the optimum solution in terms of both performance and cost. Our company prides itself in providing high quality and effective sound control solutions at reasonable cost.

For a quotation or to find out how we can help you to control sound using acoustic absorbent panels, please click on contact us for help with an acoustic solution.

About our Location

Our company is based in St Albans, Hertfordshire (Herts), near London, but we work throughout the UK.

St. Albans, Herts (Hertfordshire) is in the Eastern Region Home Counties, South East of England, about 20 miles north of central London. Local towns include Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden, Hitchin, Stevenage, Letchworth, Luton in Bedfordshire (Beds), Potters Bar, Borehamwood, Barnet, Enfield, Cheshunt and Hertford. Cambridge in Cambs (Cambridgeshire), Milton Keynes, Bedford, Chelmsford, Harlow in Essex, Huntingdon, Aylesbury in Bucks (Buckinghamshire), Bishop’s Stortford, Peterborough, London, Northampton in Northants (Northamptonshire), Reading, and Newbury in Berks (Berkshire) are not far away. We are close to several Boroughs of London.

We also have an office in Wiltshire (Wilts), which is close to towns like Marlborough, Swindon, Andover, Calne, Devizes, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Warminster, Frome, Melksham, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol, Cirencester and Stroud.