Home > Manchester > Auditorium acoustics and soundproofing
For projects in Manchester
Auditorium acoustics and soundproofing in Manchester
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. Church buildings, civic halls and converted industrial spaces are long-decay volumes with hard surfaces throughout.
- 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 material is and where it earns its place in Manchester
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.
Church buildings, civic halls and converted industrial spaces are long-decay volumes with hard surfaces throughout.
Work reaching us from Manchester is mostly warehouse conversions, student housing, studios, bars, offices, schools.
- Warehouse conversions Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
- Student and build to rent blocks Repeat rooms mean a repeatable detail. Get the wall and floor build-up right once and it works across every level.
- Metrolink and city centre traffic Ground level trams and buses put low frequency into the structure, which panels on the wall will not touch.
- 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 Manchester.
02 / The build-up
The build-up, layer by layer
-
Layer 1
Wood wool acoustic panels
Wood fibre bound into a rigid board with an open texture. In Manchester, radiators and open windows in older stock, mechanical ventilation in new build, so the noise source depends on the age of the building.
With a porous backing. Board over mineral backing where the room needs more than the board alone gives.
-
Layer 2
Wooden slat acoustic panels
Timber slats on an acoustic backing. In Manchester, church buildings, civic halls and converted industrial spaces are long-decay volumes with hard surfaces throughout.
Slats on felt backing. The standard. Absorption comes from the backing behind the gaps, so the slat gap ratio is an acoustic decision, not only a visual one.
-
Layer 3
PET felt acoustic panels
A rigid non-woven panel pressed from 100% polyester fibre, a large part of it recycled. In Manchester, school buildings run hard floors and long corridors, with sports halls and dining halls the loudest rooms.
On a 25 to 50 mm air gap. The same panel on battens. The air gap moves absorption down in frequency at no extra material cost, and is the cheapest improvement available.
Architects working in Manchester 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 / On the ground
What we see driving Manchester briefs
- Warehouse conversions
Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
- Student and build to rent blocks
Repeat rooms mean a repeatable detail. Get the wall and floor build-up right once and it works across every level.
- Metrolink and city centre traffic
Ground level trams and buses put low frequency into the structure, which panels on the wall will not touch.
- Wet climate
PET felt does not take up moisture or feed mould, which suits older brick stock and cold external walls.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Church buildings, civic halls and converted industrial spaces are long-decay volumes with hard surfaces throughout.
- School and campus buildings
School buildings run hard floors and long corridors, with sports halls and dining halls the loudest rooms.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Manchester job
-
Reverberation time
Set against use. Speech and music want different numbers, and a dual use hall needs a decision. Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
- PET felt acoustic panels, 100% PET non-woven, no added binder
- Ceiling baffles and clouds, 9 to 24 mm
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, High density polyester
-
Early reflections
Shaped surfaces that send energy to the rear seats rather than absorbing everything. Repeat rooms mean a repeatable detail. Get the wall and floor build-up right once and it works across every level.
- 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
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, Felt
-
Rear wall
The single worst surface in most halls, and the first one to treat. Ground level trams and buses put low frequency into the structure, which panels on the wall will not touch.
- 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
- Acoustic carpet and rugs, 64 sq ft per pack
If the visual is fixed and the room still has to perform, that is a solvable problem and a conversation worth having early. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate
Why the climate in Manchester changes the material, not the target
Manchester 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.
On a Manchester job with a consultant involved, our part is material that matches the submitted data. See working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Worth knowing
Where this kind of project usually fails
-
Absorbing the whole room and losing the back rows
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
-
Adding speakers to fix a reverberation problem
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
-
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 Manchester job
Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
05 / Logistics
Supply into Manchester, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Liverpool, Felixstowe or Southampton |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Liverpool |
| 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 tell you before you order.
Sea freight into Liverpool, Felixstowe or Southampton. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities. Clearance through your agent or ours.
Questions from Manchester projects
What makes auditorium acoustics and soundproofing different in Manchester?
Church buildings, civic halls and converted industrial spaces are long-decay volumes with hard surfaces throughout. Exposed brick, timber joists and steel look superb and hold nothing back. Neighbour noise between units is the first complaint, echo the second.
Where should the budget go first on a Manchester 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 Manchester?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Manchester. 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 Manchester site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Liverpool, Felixstowe or Southampton, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. Grooved and custom colours take longer, and we tell you before you order.
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
Drawings in, BOQ and a delivered date out
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.