The Importance of Acoustic Design

Acoustic design is generally not the first thing considered when looking at a new building, but actually it can be one of the most important aspects of the overall design process. Imagine a lecture theatre or school classroom where the speech intelligibility of the lecturer or teacher’s voice was limited due to excess reverberation or a concert hall where the walls absorbed all the sound so there was no feeling of envelopment or warmth in the sound field that is generated. Acoustic design of a room or building is often required at an early stage in the design process and takes into account the purpose and use of the space in question. It can take different forms for example it can be about selecting the right materials and positioning them correctly or also it can involve other aspects such as specifying the correct angles and geometry of the walls, or ceilings to distribute the sound evenly or correctly within the space.

How PDA can help with acoustic design

PDA is a team of specialists who work every day on acoustic design and associated tasks including commissioning sound testing of finished projects. Our experienced and qualified team work over a range of industry sectors. We have worked on acoustic design for:

• Residential developments
• Hotel chains
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Entertainment venues
• Cinemas
• Offices
• Industrial process and power generation facilities

Each type of building present a different set of challenges due to considerations such as their final purpose, location and surrounding noise environment etc. Our Acoustic Consultants look at both internal and external factors when assessing the acoustic design of a building or room. For example, in a hotel the management will be keen to ensure that their guests have a good night sleep. They don’t want them to be woken by other guests in neighbouring rooms or external noises from traffic, railways or service workers. In this situation we would give design recommendations to achieve the required internal sound insulation.

Factors affecting acoustic design

There are many factors affecting acoustic design as we have started to illustrate above. Some of these are internal and are directly influenced by the room or building design. These include reverberation or echo, internal noise levels and speech intelligibility, which are all influenced by how sound behaves in an enclosed space. Depending on use and the specific issues in that space our Acoustic Consultants will consider use of absorptive or reflective materials on the ceiling, floor and/or walls amongst other treatments.

External factors also come into play, such as the location of the site in relation to transportation noise sources such as travel networks such as motorways, main roads, railways, flight paths as well as the impact of weather induced sound. Most people will have experienced the sound of heavy rain or hail on a conservatory roof. This can also have a similar impact on metal or flat roofs. Ideally you wouldn’t want either of these kind of roofs on a venue where speeches are to be made without careful consideration of acoustic treatment as sometimes rooms or buildings are extended using these methods. PDA Acoustic Consultants use their acoustic design experience and knowledge to advise how these issues can be minimised.

Find out more about the technicalities of acoustic design and how the PDA Acoustic Consultants can help your building or room to be fit for its designed use. If you would like to discuss acoustic design for your specific project, why not call us on 01925 759380.