For projects in Jeddah
Auditorium acoustics and soundproofing in Jeddah
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 / The material
What this is, and what it changes in a Jeddah room
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 Jeddah is mostly hotels and hospitality, corporate offices, apartments, hospitals, schools, retail.
- The port is at the city Direct sea into Jeddah keeps the road leg short and the landed cost predictable, which is unusual in this region.
- A gateway for pilgrimage hospitality Large hotel quantities often continue inland from here. Tell us if that is happening and we stage and pack for the second leg.
- Coastal humidity PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which matters on a humid Red Sea coast where mineral products sag.
- 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 Jeddah.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
-
Layer 1
Wood wool acoustic panels
Wood fibre bound into a rigid board with an open texture. In Jeddah, 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.
-
Layer 2
Ceiling baffles and clouds
PET felt suspended from the soffit, vertically as baffles or horizontally as clouds. In Jeddah, mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief.
Horizontal clouds. Flat rafts over the occupied zone, which also reflect early speech energy back down where it helps.
-
Layer 3
Acoustic carpet and rugs
A tile carpet with a dense polyester face on a felt backing. In Jeddah, 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.
Loose lay on tackifier. Tiles lifted individually for access under a raised floor, which is why tile beats broadloom in an office.
We would rather argue about the build-up at design stage than on site. See how we support architects.
03 / Local conditions
The Jeddah conditions that change the answer
- The port is at the city
Direct sea into Jeddah keeps the road leg short and the landed cost predictable, which is unusual in this region.
- A gateway for pilgrimage hospitality
Large hotel quantities often continue inland from here. Tell us if that is happening and we stage and pack for the second leg.
- Coastal humidity
PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which matters on a humid Red Sea coast where mineral products sag.
- Guest rooms fail at the door
Corridor noise and the next room cause more complaints than room acoustics. Door and wall detailing is where the work is.
- 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 Jeddah project
-
Reverberation time
Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision. Direct sea into Jeddah keeps the road leg short and the landed cost predictable, which is unusual in this region.
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, MDF, FR MDF, HDF or HDHMR
- PET felt acoustic panels, 9, 12, 18 and 24 mm standard, tolerance plus or minus 5 percent
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, High density polyester
-
Early reflections
Shaped surfaces that send energy to the rear seats rather than absorbing everything. Large hotel quantities often continue inland from here. Tell us if that is happening and we stage and pack for the second leg.
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 13-3, 14-2, 28-4 and 59-5
- PET felt acoustic panels, 4 to 24 mm
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, Felt
-
Rear wall
The single worst surface in most halls, and the first one to treat. PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which matters on a humid Red Sea coast where mineral products sag.
- 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
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 64 sq ft per pack
For a Jeddah interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate
The Jeddah climate decides the material list
Jeddah 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 / Read this first
What we watch go wrong on jobs like this
-
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.
-
Adding speakers to fix a reverberation problem
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
-
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.
-
Treating it as a generic Jeddah job
Direct sea into Jeddah keeps the road leg short and the landed cost predictable, which is unusual in this region.
05 / Supply
What the route into Jeddah actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Jeddah, then a short road run or onward inland |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea into Jeddah |
| 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 Jeddah, then a short road run to site or onward inland. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Jeddah projects
What makes auditorium acoustics and soundproofing different in Jeddah?
Mosques, conference halls and hotel ballrooms are tall hard volumes where intelligibility over a long reverberation tail is the whole brief. Direct sea into Jeddah keeps the road leg short and the landed cost predictable, which is unusual in this region.
Where should the budget go first on a Jeddah 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 Jeddah?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Jeddah. 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 Jeddah site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Jeddah, then a short road run or onward inland, 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
Tell us the room, we will tell you the build-up
One drawing gets you a proper answer. Build-up, quantities, a delivered date, and an honest note on anything we think is the wrong approach.