For projects in Cuba
Office acoustics and soundproofing in Cuba
Three separate problems get called one problem: speech carrying across an open floor, meeting rooms that leak, and hard rooms that ring. Each has a different answer and mixing them up is how budgets get wasted. Split units and generator sets where available, with plant close to occupied rooms.
- Open plan
- Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk.
- Meeting rooms
- Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels.
- Cabins and calls
- Short RT so a call sounds clean. A small amount of well placed absorber.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / Start here
What this material is and where it earns its place in Cuba
Three separate problems get called one problem: speech carrying across an open floor, meeting rooms that leak, and hard rooms that ring. Each has a different answer and mixing them up is how budgets get wasted.
Split units and generator sets where available, with plant close to occupied rooms.
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.
- Open plan Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for office acoustics are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Cuba.
Office and conference room acoustics Acoustic office screens
02 / The build-up
What goes where, from the structure in
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Layer 1
Ceiling baffles and clouds
PET felt suspended from the soffit, vertically as baffles or horizontally as clouds. In Cuba, split units and generator sets where available, with plant close to occupied rooms.
Vertical baffles. Hung on edge in rows. Both faces absorb, so coverage figures based on plan area understate them.
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Layer 2
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 Cuba, theatres, church buildings and cultural centres are masonry volumes with very long decay.
Wall array. Panels placed at first reflection points rather than spread evenly. Fewer panels, better result.
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Layer 3
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Cuba, classrooms are hard and naturally ventilated with high ceilings and open circulation.
Wall, decoupled. Independent stud, membrane between the boards, cavity absorption, two boards. The membrane is one part of a system, never the whole answer.
Architects working in Cuba usually need the build-up before the product. We will draw the section and mark what does the work. See how we support architects.
03 / Local conditions
The Cuba conditions that change the answer
- 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.
- Plant and HVAC
Split units and generator sets where available, with plant close to occupied rooms.
04 / Room by room
Space by space, for Cuba briefs
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Open plan
Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk. Import formalities take real time here. We prepare the documentation package before shipping rather than after, and we quote the full window.
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 500 x 500 mm
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
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Meeting rooms
Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels. Tall rooms with hard plaster and timber floors, where the structure stays and everything has to be done internally and shallow.
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 4 mm
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
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Cabins and calls
Short RT so a call sounds clean. A small amount of well placed absorber. PET felt does not absorb moisture, rot or feed mould, which matters on a Caribbean coast where mineral products fail quickly.
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, High density polyester
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 5 x 1.2 m, 6 sq m per roll
Interior designers tend to arrive with the look already decided. We will tell you which finish gets there without losing the acoustics. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
Durability in Cuba, before acoustics is discussed
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.
On a Cuba job with a consultant involved, our part is material that matches the submitted data. See working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Straight talk
Where this kind of project usually fails
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Lining every wall while leaving the ceiling bare
Square metre for square metre the ceiling is the cheapest result in the room. Skipping it and buying wall panels instead is the most common way to overspend.
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Treating a privacy problem with absorption
Nobody has ever achieved speech privacy with a panel. Privacy needs mass, a sealed head detail and a door that actually closes.
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Glass cabins specified without a door and head detail
A 6 mm undercut under a door leaves a hole the size of a brick. The wall around it is then decorative.
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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 / Getting it there
Supply into Cuba, start to site
| 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 office acoustics and soundproofing different in Cuba?
Split units and generator sets where available, with plant close to occupied rooms. 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?
Open plan. Distraction distance, not reverberation time. Ceiling absorption plus screens at the desk. Meeting rooms. Privacy between rooms. That is partition and door work, not panels.
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?
Lining every wall while leaving the ceiling bare. Treating a privacy problem with absorption.
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 a plan and a section, get a real build-up
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.