For projects in Madrid
Cinema and multiplex soundproofing in Madrid
Screens stacked beside and above each other, each running full range at high level. Bleed between auditoria is the failure everyone hears, and it is decided by the shell, not the finishes. Churches, civic auditoriums and hotel function rooms are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay times.
- Screen to screen
- Independent construction between auditoria, with services broken at the line.
- In room response
- Heavy absorption on side and rear walls so the mix is heard as intended.
- Plant and projection
- Equipment noise into the auditorium, treated at source.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / The material
What this material is and where it earns its place in Madrid
Screens stacked beside and above each other, each running full range at high level. Bleed between auditoria is the failure everyone hears, and it is decided by the shell, not the finishes.
Churches, civic auditoriums and hotel function rooms are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay times.
Work reaching us from Madrid is mostly ensanche apartments, Castellana office floors, restaurants, hotels, clinics, studios, schools.
- Ensanche blocks share everything The classic Madrid block stacks flats around a central patio with shared walls and slabs. Footfall and speech move between homes, which is a mass and isolation problem, not a panel problem.
- Castellana floors have nothing soft Tower and corporate floors run glass to glass with raised floors and exposed slabs. Speech carries because there is nowhere for it to land, so the ceiling has to do the work.
- A city that eats and drinks late Bars and restaurants run long hours directly under apartments. The complaint is almost always low frequency and footfall, and it arrives fast.
- Screen to screen Independent construction between auditoria, with services broken at the line.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for cinema soundproofing are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Madrid.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
-
Layer 1
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Madrid, split and multi-split systems dominate, with condensers in patios and light wells that act as reverberant shafts.
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
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 Madrid, churches, civic auditoriums and hotel function rooms are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay times.
Resilient bar. Where a full independent leaf will not fit. Effective, and very easy to short circuit with one wrong screw.
-
Layer 3
Acoustic carpet and rugs
A tile carpet with a dense polyester face on a felt backing. In Madrid, school buildings are concrete and tile with high ceilings and hard floors, and dining halls are the loudest rooms in the building.
Zoned. Carpet in the circulation and meeting zones, hard floor elsewhere, so the treatment sits where the noise is made.
Architects working in Madrid 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
What we see driving Madrid briefs
- Ensanche blocks share everything
The classic Madrid block stacks flats around a central patio with shared walls and slabs. Footfall and speech move between homes, which is a mass and isolation problem, not a panel problem.
- Castellana floors have nothing soft
Tower and corporate floors run glass to glass with raised floors and exposed slabs. Speech carries because there is nowhere for it to land, so the ceiling has to do the work.
- A city that eats and drinks late
Bars and restaurants run long hours directly under apartments. The complaint is almost always low frequency and footfall, and it arrives fast.
- Closed up against the heat
Once a room is sealed and air conditioned it stops leaking sound outward and starts building it up inside. Absorption has to be balanced, not maximised.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Churches, civic auditoriums and hotel function rooms are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay times.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Madrid job
-
Screen to screen
Independent construction between auditoria, with services broken at the line. The classic Madrid block stacks flats around a central patio with shared walls and slabs. Footfall and speech move between homes, which is a mass and isolation problem, not a panel problem.
- 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
- PET felt acoustic panels, 4 to 24 mm
-
In room response
Heavy absorption on side and rear walls so the mix is heard as intended. Tower and corporate floors run glass to glass with raised floors and exposed slabs. Speech carries because there is nowhere for it to land, so the ceiling has to do the work.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- PET felt acoustic panels, 1220 x 2440 mm standard, 4 x 8 ft
-
Plant and projection
Equipment noise into the auditorium, treated at source. Bars and restaurants run long hours directly under apartments. The complaint is almost always low frequency and footfall, and it arrives fast.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Soundproofing materials, ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
- PET felt acoustic panels, 2440 x 4270 mm, 2.44 x 4.27 m, 8 x 14 ft
For a Madrid 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 Madrid climate decides the material list
Madrid is hot dry summers and mild wet winters, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
The swing between a dry summer and a wet winter moves timber. PET felt is dimensionally stable across that swing; slat panels want a stable substrate and a ventilated fixing.
The failure we design against here is seasonal movement in timber and winter damp in unheated stock.
Where a consultant is already engaged on a Madrid project, we supply to their specification and send the test reports rather than describing them. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Read this first
What we watch go wrong on jobs like this
-
A shared service void running across the wall line
The ceiling is almost always the largest untreated surface, so leaving it out means paying for panels that cannot reach the target.
-
Treating the auditorium to fix bleed from the next screen
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
-
Doors and lobbies specified late and undersized
A 6 mm undercut under a door leaves a hole the size of a brick. The wall around it is then decorative.
-
Treating it as a generic Madrid job
The classic Madrid block stacks flats around a central patio with shared walls and slabs. Footfall and speech move between homes, which is a mass and isolation problem, not a panel problem.
05 / Supply
Getting it to Madrid, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Valencia or Barcelona, then road inland to Madrid |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea, then road inland |
| 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 Valencia or Barcelona, then road inland to Madrid. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Madrid projects
What makes cinema and multiplex soundproofing different in Madrid?
Churches, civic auditoriums and hotel function rooms are stone and plaster volumes with very long decay times. The classic Madrid block stacks flats around a central patio with shared walls and slabs. Footfall and speech move between homes, which is a mass and isolation problem, not a panel problem.
Where should the budget go first on a Madrid project?
Screen to screen. Independent construction between auditoria, with services broken at the line. In room response. Heavy absorption on side and rear walls so the mix is heard as intended.
Do you have an office or installation team in Madrid?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Madrid. 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 Madrid site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Valencia or Barcelona, then road inland to Madrid, 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?
A shared service void running across the wall line. Treating the auditorium to fix bleed from the next screen.
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
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.