Village Hall Acoustics
Many village and community halls suffer from poor acoustics, usually as a result of hard surface finishes
that are a legacy of the requirement to achieve robust design, suitable for multi-purpose activity.
This is fine for sports use, such as badminton, table tennis and basketball, but often creates problems
when the space is used for meetings, talks, musical recitals, drama or any function where poor acoustics
causes difficulty with hearing and speech intelligibility. Sound reflecting off hard surfaces results in an
acoustic build-up and a high reverberation time (RT), this being the time taken for the sound created by a
loud noise, such as a gun shot or balloon burst, to decay by 60dB. Both new buildings and older untreated
halls often display RT's as high as 3.0 - 4.0 seconds where the recommended level is around 1.5
seconds.
In order to reduce the RT to an acceptable level acoustically absorbent materials need to be introduced.
This usually comprises the use of sound absorbers, applied to either the ceiling and/or walls, although
acoustic curtains can provide an acceptable and more flexible alternative. The final product selection and
layout may be dictated by the physical constraints of the building and/or aesthetic considerations. We are
able to offer a number of alternatives and further details of our range of sound absorptive products can be
found through the adjacent 'Quick Links'.
We provide a non obligatory, free of charge service to survey your hall, calculate the existing RT and offer
a proposed solution. To arrange a visit call us today or send us an email and we will contact you by
return.
