For projects in Abu Dhabi
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Abu Dhabi
Two jobs that must not be confused: keeping the building out, and making the room honest inside. The first is mass and decoupling and has to be built first. The second is absorption and diffusion and can be tuned later. Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor.
- Isolation
- A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought.
- Low frequency
- Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam.
- Early reflections
- Controlled at the mix position, and only there.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / Start here
The product, described honestly, for a Abu Dhabi brief
Two jobs that must not be confused: keeping the building out, and making the room honest inside. The first is mass and decoupling and has to be built first. The second is absorption and diffusion and can be tuned later.
Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor.
Work reaching us from Abu Dhabi is mostly hotels, cultural and institutional buildings, villas, offices, clinics, schools, studios.
- Short sea leg from India Western Indian ports to the UAE is a short run. That is the practical reason a factory in India can hold an Abu Dhabi programme date, and it is why we quote sea rather than air for most orders.
- Concrete and glass, sealed all year Blockwork and full glazing with the building closed up against the heat gives a hard, live interior and a lot of mechanical noise with nowhere to go.
- Submittals and samples Most work here goes through a consultant. Send us the specification and we will tell you where our material sits against it and where it does not, in writing.
- Isolation A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for studio soundproofing are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Abu Dhabi.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
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Layer 1
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Abu Dhabi, district cooling and large AHU plant run continuously. Duct attenuation, plant room lining and riser treatment do the work.
Wall, decoupled. Independent stud, membrane between the boards, cavity absorption, two boards. The membrane is one part of a system, never the whole answer.
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Layer 2
Soundproofing materials
The blocking side of the range taken together: mass loaded vinyl, resilient layers, cavity absorption and the build-ups they belong in. In Abu Dhabi, hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word.
Floating floor. Resilient layer and deck, to break impact energy before it reaches the structure.
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Layer 3
Acoustic panels
The full absorber range rather than one product: plain PET felt, printed felt, grooved panels and fabric finishes, chosen by how the room is used and how it has to look. In Abu Dhabi, international school campuses are new, highly glazed and built to a tight programme. Sports halls, atria and lecture spaces are the rooms that need treating.
Wall array. Panels placed at first reflection points rather than spread evenly. Fewer panels, better result.
For a Abu Dhabi practice, the useful thing is a detail you can put in a drawing set, not a brochure. See how we support architects.
03 / In this market
What decides the build-up in Abu Dhabi
- Short sea leg from India
Western Indian ports to the UAE is a short run. That is the practical reason a factory in India can hold an Abu Dhabi programme date, and it is why we quote sea rather than air for most orders.
- Concrete and glass, sealed all year
Blockwork and full glazing with the building closed up against the heat gives a hard, live interior and a lot of mechanical noise with nowhere to go.
- Submittals and samples
Most work here goes through a consultant. Send us the specification and we will tell you where our material sits against it and where it does not, in writing.
- MEP noise is the quiet problem
Heavy cooling loads mean large plant close to occupied space. Ducts, risers and plant rooms cause more complaints than anything in the room itself.
- The housing stock
Towers and villas are concrete and block with stone or porcelain floors throughout. Mass is not the problem, impact noise and live rooms are.
- The studio and content scene
Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor.
04 / Room by room
What each space in a Abu Dhabi project needs
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Western Indian ports to the UAE is a short run. That is the practical reason a factory in India can hold an Abu Dhabi programme date, and it is why we quote sea rather than air for most orders.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 2100 kg per cubic metre
- Soundproofing materials, 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
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Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Blockwork and full glazing with the building closed up against the heat gives a hard, live interior and a lot of mechanical noise with nowhere to go.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Most work here goes through a consultant. Send us the specification and we will tell you where our material sits against it and where it does not, in writing.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
- Acoustic panels, 9 to 24 mm, 1220 x 2440 mm standard, up to 2440 x 4270 mm, 1200 to 3600 GSM
For a Abu Dhabi interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
Why the climate in Abu Dhabi changes the material, not the target
Abu Dhabi is hot and dry for most of the year, with dust and high daytime surface temperatures, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Dust is the enemy of open-cell products. PET felt does not shed, does not hold dust in the way fabric-wrapped glass wool does, and wipes down. Timber needs a stable indoor RH or it moves.
The failure we design against here is dust ingress and thermal movement in long runs.
Where a consultant is already engaged on a Abu Dhabi project, we supply to their specification and send the test reports rather than describing them. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Straight talk
What we watch go wrong on jobs like this
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Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Treating the room before the shell is isolated
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Killing the room completely and calling it controlled
More absorption is not better absorption. Past the target the room goes flat and people raise their voices to compensate.
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Treating it as a generic Abu Dhabi job
Western Indian ports to the UAE is a short run. That is the practical reason a factory in India can hold an Abu Dhabi programme date, and it is why we quote sea rather than air for most orders.
05 / Getting it there
Supply into Abu Dhabi, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Khalifa Port or Jebel Ali, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Khalifa Port |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved panels and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order.
Sea freight into Khalifa Port or Jebel Ali, then road to site. The short transit means sea works for most programmes. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Abu Dhabi projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Abu Dhabi?
Production rooms are fitted inside existing office and warehouse shells. Plant noise and neighbouring tenancies set the achievable noise floor. Western Indian ports to the UAE is a short run. That is the practical reason a factory in India can hold an Abu Dhabi programme date, and it is why we quote sea rather than air for most orders.
Where should the budget go first on a Abu Dhabi project?
Isolation. A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Low frequency. Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam.
Do you have an office or installation team in Abu Dhabi?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Abu Dhabi. We give you drawings, build-ups, a BOQ and material that arrives complete, and we will tell you plainly when a job needs a local contractor we cannot be.
How does material get to a Abu Dhabi site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Khalifa Port or Jebel Ali, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved panels and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Buying foam to solve an isolation problem. Treating the room before the shell is isolated.
What do you need from us to quote?
A plan, a section through the critical partition or ceiling, and what the room is for. From that we can give a build-up and a BOQ rather than a price per square foot.
Next step
Send the drawings, get a straight answer
One drawing gets you a proper answer. Build-up, quantities, a delivered date, and an honest note on anything we think is the wrong approach.