For projects in Dammam
Auditorium acoustics and soundproofing in Dammam
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. Mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief.
- 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 product, described honestly, for a Dammam brief
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.
Mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief.
Work reaching us from Dammam is mostly industrial plant and control rooms, corporate offices, compound housing, hotels, schools, clinics.
- Industrial noise is a mass problem Compressors, generators and process plant are low frequency and structure-borne. Panels on a wall will not touch it and we will say so.
- Control rooms run long shifts Operators listening to alarms and radios for twelve hours need intelligibility and a low background, not a reverberation figure.
- The port is on the doorstep Short road leg, predictable landed cost, and straightforward replacement if something arrives damaged.
- 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 Dammam.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
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Layer 1
Wood wool acoustic panels
Wood fibre bound into a rigid board with an open texture. In Dammam, cooling runs year round at high load, so chillers, AHUs and large duct runs are constant sources. Plant room lining and duct attenuation carry most of the result.
With a porous backing. Board over mineral backing where the room needs more than the board alone gives.
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Layer 2
Wooden slat acoustic panels
Timber slats on an acoustic backing. In Dammam, mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief.
Slats on a cavity. Backing plus an air gap behind moves absorption lower, which matters in music rooms.
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Layer 3
PET felt acoustic panels
A rigid non-woven panel pressed from 100% polyester fibre, a large part of it recycled. In Dammam, new school and university buildings are large, hard and highly glazed. Lecture theatres and sports halls are the spaces that fail first, and ceiling absorption is the practical fix.
Over a porous backing. Panel over mineral or PET backing where the room needs genuine low mid control.
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 Dammam do to the specification
- Industrial noise is a mass problem
Compressors, generators and process plant are low frequency and structure-borne. Panels on a wall will not touch it and we will say so.
- Control rooms run long shifts
Operators listening to alarms and radios for twelve hours need intelligibility and a low background, not a reverberation figure.
- The port is on the doorstep
Short road leg, predictable landed cost, and straightforward replacement if something arrives damaged.
- Heat, dust and sealed buildings
Closed up with heavy cooling year round, so plant noise accumulates inside rather than escaping.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief.
- School and campus buildings
New school and university buildings are large, hard and highly glazed. Lecture theatres and sports halls are the spaces that fail first, and ceiling absorption is the practical fix.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a Dammam project
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Reverberation time
Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision. Compressors, generators and process plant are low frequency and structure-borne. Panels on a wall will not touch it and we will say so.
- 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. Operators listening to alarms and radios for twelve hours need intelligibility and a low background, not a reverberation figure.
- 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. Short road leg, predictable landed cost, and straightforward replacement if something arrives damaged.
- 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
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 / Durability
Why the climate in Dammam changes the material, not the target
Dammam 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.
Consultants get the raw data, not a sales sheet. That is the whole of our side of the job, and it is set out under working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Worth knowing
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
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
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Treating it as a generic Dammam job
Compressors, generators and process plant are low frequency and structure-borne. Panels on a wall will not touch it and we will say so.
05 / Logistics
Getting it to Dammam, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Dammam, then a short road run across the Eastern Province |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea into Dammam |
| 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 direct into Dammam, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Dammam projects
What makes auditorium acoustics and soundproofing different in Dammam?
Mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief. Compressors, generators and process plant are low frequency and structure-borne. Panels on a wall will not touch it and we will say so.
Where should the budget go first on a Dammam 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 Dammam?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Dammam. 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 Dammam site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Dammam, then a short road run across the Eastern Province, 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
Send a plan and a section, get a real build-up
We quote from drawings, not from a square foot rate. Send a plan and the section through the critical wall or ceiling and you will get something you can actually build from.