For projects in China
Auditorium acoustics and soundproofing in China
A large hard volume where speech falls apart long before anyone calls the room echoey. The target is intelligibility at the back row, which is a reverberation and early reflection problem, not a loudspeaker problem. Auditoria, conference centres and function halls are large hard volumes with long decay.
- Reverberation time
- Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision.
- Early reflections
- Shaped surfaces that send energy to the rear seats rather than absorbing everything.
- Rear wall
- The single worst surface in most halls, and the first one to treat.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / The material
What this material is and where it earns its place in China
A large hard volume where speech falls apart long before anyone calls the room echoey. The target is intelligibility at the back row, which is a reverberation and early reflection problem, not a loudspeaker problem.
Auditoria, conference centres and function halls are large hard volumes with long decay.
Work reaching us from China is mostly specification-led projects, international hotel and office fit-out, studios, showrooms.
- We are not the default here Domestic supply is abundant and competitive. We are worth importing when the specification, the colour consistency or the supply chain is the reason, not the price.
- Concrete towers, hard interiors The structure blocks well, so the recurring problems are live rooms and impact passing down through slabs.
- Colour across a large order Where a single project runs across many floors, batch to batch consistency is usually the reason people come to a single manufacturer.
- Reverberation time Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for auditorium acoustics are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in China.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
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Layer 1
PET felt acoustic panels
A rigid non-woven panel pressed from 100% polyester fibre, a large part of it recycled. In China, central plant, VRF and split units, with risers and duct runs carrying noise between floors.
Direct to wall. Panel bonded or mechanically fixed flat to the substrate. Simplest, and the weakest at low frequency.
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Layer 2
Ceiling baffles and clouds
PET felt suspended from the soffit, vertically as baffles or horizontally as clouds. In China, auditoria, conference centres and function halls are large hard volumes with long decay.
Vertical baffles. Hung on edge in rows. Both faces absorb, so coverage figures based on plan area understate them.
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Layer 3
Acoustic carpet and rugs
A tile carpet with a dense polyester face on a felt backing. In China, school buildings are concrete and tile with very large class sizes and long hard corridors.
Zoned. Carpet in the circulation and meeting zones, hard floor elsewhere, so the treatment sits where the noise is made.
We would rather argue about the build-up at design stage than on site. See how we support architects.
03 / Local conditions
What the buildings in China do to the specification
- We are not the default here
Domestic supply is abundant and competitive. We are worth importing when the specification, the colour consistency or the supply chain is the reason, not the price.
- Concrete towers, hard interiors
The structure blocks well, so the recurring problems are live rooms and impact passing down through slabs.
- Colour across a large order
Where a single project runs across many floors, batch to batch consistency is usually the reason people come to a single manufacturer.
- Well served ports
Shanghai, Ningbo and Shenzhen all run frequently from India, so routing is straightforward.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Auditoria, conference centres and function halls are large hard volumes with long decay.
- School and campus buildings
School buildings are concrete and tile with very large class sizes and long hard corridors.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical China job
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Reverberation time
Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision. Domestic supply is abundant and competitive. We are worth importing when the specification, the colour consistency or the supply chain is the reason, not the price.
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 1200 x 600 mm
- PET felt acoustic panels, 9, 12, 18 and 24 mm standard, tolerance plus or minus 5 percent
- Ceiling baffles and clouds, Made to the drawing, standard and custom
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Early reflections
Shaped surfaces that send energy to the rear seats rather than absorbing everything. The structure blocks well, so the recurring problems are live rooms and impact passing down through slabs.
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 20 mm
- PET felt acoustic panels, 4 to 24 mm
- Ceiling baffles and clouds, Both faces work, which is why suspended area outperforms the same area laid flat
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Rear wall
The single worst surface in most halls, and the first one to treat. Where a single project runs across many floors, batch to batch consistency is usually the reason people come to a single manufacturer.
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 400 kg per cubic metre
- PET felt acoustic panels, 1220 x 2440 mm standard, 4 x 8 ft
- Ceiling baffles and clouds, ASTM C423
If the visual is fixed and the room still has to perform, that is a solvable problem and a conversation worth having early. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
Durability in China, before acoustics is discussed
China is hot summers, mild winters and a distinct wet season, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
PET felt handles the wet months without absorbing moisture or feeding mould. Timber and wood wool want a ventilated cavity and a stable indoor RH.
The failure we design against here is wet-season humidity behind linings.
On a China job with a consultant involved, our part is material that matches the submitted data. See working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Before you buy
Six mistakes that turn into a second fit-out
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Absorbing the whole room and losing the back rows
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
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Adding speakers to fix a reverberation problem
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Ignoring the rear wall because it is behind the audience
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
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Treating it as a generic China job
Domestic supply is abundant and competitive. We are worth importing when the specification, the colour consistency or the supply chain is the reason, not the price.
05 / Logistics
Supply into China, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Shanghai, Ningbo or Shenzhen, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Shanghai or Ningbo |
| 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, not after.
Sea freight into Shanghai, Ningbo or Shenzhen, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from China projects
What makes auditorium acoustics and soundproofing different in China?
Auditoria, conference centres and function halls are large hard volumes with long decay. Domestic supply is abundant and competitive. We are worth importing when the specification, the colour consistency or the supply chain is the reason, not the price.
Where should the budget go first on a China project?
Reverberation time. Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision. Early reflections. Shaped surfaces that send energy to the rear seats rather than absorbing everything.
Do you have an office or installation team in China?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into China. 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 China site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Shanghai, Ningbo or Shenzhen, 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, not after.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Absorbing the whole room and losing the back rows. Adding speakers to fix a reverberation problem.
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
Drawings in, BOQ and a delivered date out
A plan and a section is enough. We will come back with a build-up, a BOQ and a delivered date, and we will say so if what you are asking for will not work.