For projects in France
Venue and restaurant acoustics in France
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. Churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay.
- 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 / What it is
The product, described honestly, for a France brief
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.
Churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay.
Work reaching us from France is mostly apartments, hotels, restaurants, offices, studios, schools, clinics.
- Hospitality volume Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
- Retrofit, not new build Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
- Timber floors and divided apartments Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
- 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 France.
Nightclub and venue soundproofing SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
02 / The build-up
The build-up, layer by layer
-
Layer 1
Soundproofing materials
The blocking side of the range taken together: mass loaded vinyl, resilient layers, cavity absorption and the build-ups they belong in. In France, mechanical extract ventilation is near universal, and the extract path carries sound between flats as reliably as the wall.
Floating floor. Resilient layer and deck, to break impact energy before it reaches the structure.
-
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 France, churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay.
Wall array. Panels placed at first reflection points rather than spread evenly. Fewer panels, better result.
-
Layer 3
Acoustic carpet and rugs
A tile carpet with a dense polyester face on a felt backing. In France, school buildings are hard surfaced with high ceilings, and canteens are consistently the loudest rooms.
Zoned. Carpet in the circulation and meeting zones, hard floor elsewhere, so the treatment sits where the noise is made.
If you are specifying for a France 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 decides the build-up in France
- Hospitality volume
Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
- Retrofit, not new build
Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
- Timber floors and divided apartments
Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
- Seasonal programmes
Coastal and resort work runs to a fixed opening date. We give honest dispatch and transit dates so the fit-out is not waiting on a container.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay.
04 / Room by room
Space by space, for France briefs
-
Containment
Low frequency through structure to flats above and beside. Mass, decoupling and a sealed envelope. Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 2100 kg per cubic metre
- Soundproofing materials, 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
-
Table level comfort
Absorption at the ceiling so guests stop raising their voices at each other. Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
-
Entrance and service
Doors, lobbies and extract paths, which is where most of the leakage actually is. Footfall and speech move between homes through the floor. Mass plus a resilient layer beats any surface treatment underneath.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
- Acoustic panels, 9 to 24 mm, 1220 x 2440 mm standard, up to 2440 x 4270 mm, 1200 to 3600 GSM
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
The France climate decides the material list
France is cool and damp, with long heating seasons and cold external walls, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Cold wall build-ups and long heating seasons mean interstitial condensation is a real risk behind any lining. PET felt is unaffected by damp air and will not feed mould where a fabric-faced mineral product would.
The failure we design against here is condensation behind linings in older, poorly insulated stock.
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 / Read this first
The six errors that cost the most
-
Panels on the wall as a neighbour noise solution
It sounds like a small detail until the room is finished and the complaint arrives.
-
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
Noise with a source is fixed at the source. Treating the receiving room is the expensive way to get a small result.
-
Treating it as a generic France job
Restaurants and hotels take the acoustic complaints personally, because guests write them down. Absorption goes where it will not fight the design.
05 / Route to site
Getting it to France, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Le Havre, Marseille or Antwerp, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Le Havre |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order.
Sea freight into Le Havre, Marseille or Antwerp, then road to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from France projects
What makes venue and restaurant acoustics different in France?
Churches, salles des fetes and civic auditoriums are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay. Most rooms already exist, so the build-up has to work within the depth and the finishes you already have.
Where should the budget go first on a France 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 France?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into France. 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 France site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Le Havre, Marseille or Antwerp, then road to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we say so before you order.
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 a plan and a section, get a real build-up
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.