For projects in Dubai
Venue and restaurant acoustics in Dubai
Two different jobs that get quoted as one: keeping bass inside the building for the neighbours, and making the room comfortable enough that guests can talk. Solving one does nothing for the other. Hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word.
- Containment
- Low frequency through structure to flats above and beside. Mass, decoupling and a sealed envelope.
- Table level comfort
- Absorption at the ceiling so guests stop raising their voices at each other.
- Entrance and service
- Doors, lobbies and extract paths, which is where most of the leakage actually is.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / The product
What this material is and where it earns its place in Dubai
Two different jobs that get quoted as one: keeping bass inside the building for the neighbours, and making the room comfortable enough that guests can talk. Solving one does nothing for the other.
Hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word.
Work reaching us from Dubai is mostly hotels and fit-out, towers and apartments, retail and malls, offices, clinics, studios.
- A short sea leg from India Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
- A professional fit-out market Contractors here compare products line by line and expect documentation with the quote. That suits a manufacturer who can answer for what is in the material.
- Sealed against the heat Buildings stay closed with heavy cooling running all year, so mechanical noise accumulates and rooms stay live.
- Containment Low frequency through structure to flats above and beside. Mass, decoupling and a sealed envelope.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for venue soundproofing are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Dubai.
Nightclub and venue soundproofing SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
-
Layer 1
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Dubai, 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.
-
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 Dubai, hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word.
Ceiling first. In most rooms the ceiling is the largest untreated surface and the cheapest square metre of result.
-
Layer 3
Wooden slat acoustic panels
Timber slats on an acoustic backing. In Dubai, 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.
Slats on a cavity. Backing plus an air gap behind moves absorption lower, which matters in music rooms.
We would rather argue about the build-up at design stage than on site. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What the buildings in Dubai do to the specification
- A short sea leg from India
Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
- A professional fit-out market
Contractors here compare products line by line and expect documentation with the quote. That suits a manufacturer who can answer for what is in the material.
- Sealed against the heat
Buildings stay closed with heavy cooling running all year, so mechanical noise accumulates and rooms stay live.
- Impact through slabs
Hard flooring over concrete passes footfall straight down between apartments. The underlay goes in before the finish, not after the complaint.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Dubai job
-
Containment
Low frequency through structure to flats above and beside. Mass, decoupling and a sealed envelope. Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 2100 kg per cubic metre
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, High density polyester
-
Table level comfort
Absorption at the ceiling so guests stop raising their voices at each other. Contractors here compare products line by line and expect documentation with the quote. That suits a manufacturer who can answer for what is in the material.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, Felt
-
Entrance and service
Doors, lobbies and extract paths, which is where most of the leakage actually is. Buildings stay closed with heavy cooling running all year, so mechanical noise accumulates and rooms stay live.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 64 sq ft per pack
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 / Conditions
Durability in Dubai, before acoustics is discussed
Dubai 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.
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
-
Panels on the wall as a neighbour noise solution
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
-
A lobby with both doors able to open at once
A gap undoes the partition it sits in. Sealing is the cheapest line on the quote and the first one to get cut.
-
Extract ducting that bypasses every wall you built
Plant noise treated as a room problem is the most reliable way to spend a budget and change nothing anyone can hear.
-
Treating it as a generic Dubai job
Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
05 / Logistics
How material reaches a Dubai site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Jebel Ali, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Jebel Ali |
| 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 Jebel Ali, then road to site. The short transit means sea works for most programmes. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Dubai projects
What makes venue and restaurant acoustics different in Dubai?
Hotel ballrooms, mosques and conference centres are tall hard volumes where a long tail defeats the speech system before anyone hears a word. Western Indian ports to Jebel Ali is one of the quickest runs we operate, which is why a factory abroad can still hold a Dubai programme date.
Where should the budget go first on a Dubai project?
Containment. Low frequency through structure to flats above and beside. Mass, decoupling and a sealed envelope. Table level comfort. Absorption at the ceiling so guests stop raising their voices at each other.
Do you have an office or installation team in Dubai?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Dubai. 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 Dubai site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: 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, not after.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Panels on the wall as a neighbour noise solution. A lobby with both doors able to open at once.
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.