For projects in Cuba
Auditorium acoustics and soundproofing in Cuba
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. Theatres, church buildings and cultural centres are masonry volumes with very 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 / What it is
The material, and what it actually does on a Cuba job
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.
Theatres, church buildings and cultural centres are masonry volumes with very long decay.
Work reaching us from Cuba is mostly hotels and restoration projects, theatres and halls, offices, clinics, schools.
- Paperwork is part of the lead time Import formalities take real time here. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after, and we quote the full window.
- Heritage buildings under restoration Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors, where the structure stays and everything has to be done internally and shallow.
- Salt air and humidity PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters on a Caribbean coast where mineral products fail quickly.
- 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 Cuba.
02 / The build-up
What goes where, from the structure in
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Layer 1
Wood wool acoustic panels
Wood fibre bound into a rigid board with an open texture. In Cuba, split units and generator sets where available, with plant close to occupied rooms.
On a cavity. Mounted on battens with an air gap, which is where the low mid performance comes from.
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Layer 2
Wooden slat acoustic panels
Timber slats on an acoustic backing. In Cuba, theatres, church buildings and cultural centres are masonry volumes with very long decay.
Feature wall only. Slats where they are seen, plain felt elsewhere, to hold the budget where it shows.
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Layer 3
Ceiling baffles and clouds
PET felt suspended from the soffit, vertically as baffles or horizontally as clouds. In Cuba, classrooms are hard and naturally ventilated with high ceilings and open circulation.
Vertical baffles. Hung on edge in rows. Both faces absorb, so coverage figures based on plan area understate them.
If you are specifying for a Cuba project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What we see driving Cuba briefs
- Paperwork is part of the lead time
Import formalities take real time here. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after, and we quote the full window.
- Heritage buildings under restoration
Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors, where the structure stays and everything has to be done internally and shallow.
- Salt air and humidity
PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters on a Caribbean coast where mineral products fail quickly.
- Theatres and assembly halls
Large historic rooms where speech intelligibility fails long before anyone calls the room echoey.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Theatres, church buildings and cultural centres are masonry volumes with very long decay.
- School and campus buildings
Classrooms are hard and naturally ventilated with high ceilings and open circulation.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Cuba job
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Reverberation time
Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision. Import formalities take real time here. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after, and we quote the full window.
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 1200 x 600 mm
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 13-3, 14-2, 28-4 and 59-5
- PET felt acoustic panels, 4 to 24 mm
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Early reflections
Shaped surfaces that send energy to the rear seats rather than absorbing everything. Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors, where the structure stays and everything has to be done internally and shallow.
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 20 mm
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 2440 x 192 mm and 2440 x 128 mm
- PET felt acoustic panels, 1220 x 2440 mm standard, 4 x 8 ft
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Rear wall
The single worst surface in most halls, and the first one to treat. PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters on a Caribbean coast where mineral products fail quickly.
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 400 kg per cubic metre
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 14, 16 and 18 mm
- PET felt acoustic panels, 2440 x 4270 mm, 2.44 x 4.27 m, 8 x 14 ft
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
Why the climate in Cuba changes the material, not the target
Cuba 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.
If a consultant has set the target, we will quote against their figures rather than ours, and stay out of the scope they own. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Before you buy
Where this kind of project usually fails
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Absorbing the whole room and losing the back rows
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Adding speakers to fix a reverberation problem
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
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Ignoring the rear wall because it is behind the audience
It sounds like a small detail until the room is finished and the complaint arrives.
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Treating it as a generic Cuba job
Import formalities take real time here. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after, and we quote the full window.
05 / Route to site
Getting it to Cuba, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Mariel, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Mariel |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into Mariel, then road to site. Air freight for samples where it is practical.
Questions from Cuba projects
What makes auditorium acoustics and soundproofing different in Cuba?
Theatres, church buildings and cultural centres are masonry volumes with very long decay. Import formalities take real time here. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after, and we quote the full window.
Where should the budget go first on a Cuba 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 Cuba?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Cuba. 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 Cuba site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Mariel, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
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
Send the drawings, get a straight answer
Send what you have. We will give you a layer by layer build-up, a bill of quantities and a date material lands, and we will flag anything in the brief that will not achieve what you want.