Architectural & Building acoustics primary aim is improving the sound in rooms. We might want to reduce background noise in a recording studio, improve the design of a public address system to make speech more comprehensible in a shopping centre, or put acoustic treatments on a wall to make music in a concert hall sound better.

Two types of sound challenges need to be considered when planning a new building. The first being Reverberation, this is caused by multiple reflections of the original sound by the surrounding surfaces. An important effect of this is to extend the “life” of the sound after it has stopped. The time taken for the sound to die away is the Reverberation time. Different amounts of reverberations suit different uses.

Music sounds subjectively “better” in a room with more reverberation. However, this is not the best environment for public speaking as the words start to over making it difficult to understand.

The second challenge is keeping external noise out of the room. This requires the walls and other separating materials to have a high level of Transmission loss and that any potential gaps such as doors and windows can be adequately sealed. The Transmission Loss of a wall or barrier depends on the mass of that barrier: heavier the barrier, the greater the transmission loss.

With both Reverberation time and Transmission loss addressed, you provide a sound level of architectural and building acoustics. Fortunately, these issues can be dealt with during the planning stages of a building or implemented after the build is complete.

We can offer a full range of acoustic testing and analysis service for cost-effective design and development of interior trim, acoustic and thermal insulation products.