For projects in Melbourne
HVAC, plant and machine noise control in Melbourne
Noise with a source. Almost every honest fix is at the machine, the duct or the plant room, and almost nothing useful happens by lining the far wall of the occupied space. Ducted systems and split units, with outdoor units close to boundaries where neighbour noise limits apply.
- At source
- Enclosure, barrier or anti vibration mounts at the machine.
- In the path
- Duct lining, attenuators and lagging on the first run out of the plant.
- At the receiver
- Only after the first two, and only for what is left.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / What it is
The material, and what it actually does on a Melbourne job
Noise with a source. Almost every honest fix is at the machine, the duct or the plant room, and almost nothing useful happens by lining the far wall of the occupied space.
Ducted systems and split units, with outdoor units close to boundaries where neighbour noise limits apply.
Work reaching us from Melbourne is mostly live music venues, Victorian terraces, apartments, offices, schools, studios, clinics.
- Venues that were there first Live rooms in old warehouses with new apartments built alongside. Containment of low frequency is what keeps them operating.
- Victorian terraces Single skin brick party walls and timber floors. Speech and footfall move between houses easily and mass is the only reliable answer.
- The port is in the city Direct sea into Melbourne keeps the road leg short, though the sea leg itself is long and we quote it fully.
- At source Enclosure, barrier or anti vibration mounts at the machine.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for HVAC and plant noise control are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Melbourne.
02 / The build-up
What goes where, from the structure in
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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 Melbourne, ducted systems and split units, with outdoor units close to boundaries where neighbour noise limits apply.
Floating floor. Resilient layer and deck, to break impact energy before it reaches the structure.
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Layer 2
Wood wool acoustic panels
Wood fibre bound into a rigid board with an open texture. In Melbourne, school halls, community centres and church buildings carry assembly, performance and sport in one hard volume.
With a porous backing. Board over mineral backing where the room needs more than the board alone gives.
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Layer 3
Acoustic foam and BassBloc
Open cell foam shapes for high frequency control, and BassBloc, a high density absorber built for the low mid range where ordinary foam does nothing. In Melbourne, school buildings run hard floors and high ceilings, and open plan learning areas make speech intelligibility the central problem rather than echo.
First reflection points. Mirror trick placement on side walls and ceiling, which is a handful of panels rather than a lined room.
If you are specifying for a Melbourne project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / In this market
What we see driving Melbourne briefs
- Venues that were there first
Live rooms in old warehouses with new apartments built alongside. Containment of low frequency is what keeps them operating.
- Victorian terraces
Single skin brick party walls and timber floors. Speech and footfall move between houses easily and mass is the only reliable answer.
- The port is in the city
Direct sea into Melbourne keeps the road leg short, though the sea leg itself is long and we quote it fully.
- Variable climate, sealed rooms
Heating and cooling run hard across the year, so rooms stay closed and sound accumulates inside.
- Plant and HVAC
Ducted systems and split units, with outdoor units close to boundaries where neighbour noise limits apply.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a Melbourne project
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At source
Enclosure, barrier or anti vibration mounts at the machine. Live rooms in old warehouses with new apartments built alongside. Containment of low frequency is what keeps them operating.
- Soundproofing materials, 2100 kg per cubic metre. 2.5 mm STC 30 at 5.25 kg per sq m, 4 mm STC 34 at 8.4, 6 mm at 12.6
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 20 mm
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
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In the path
Duct lining, attenuators and lagging on the first run out of the plant. Single skin brick party walls and timber floors. Speech and footfall move between houses easily and mass is the only reliable answer.
- Soundproofing materials, 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 400 kg per cubic metre
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 to 500 Hz
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At the receiver
Only after the first two, and only for what is left. Direct sea into Melbourne keeps the road leg short, though the sea leg itself is long and we quote it fully.
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 0.30
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 0.85
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 / Conditions
Why the climate in Melbourne changes the material, not the target
Melbourne is hot summers, mild winters and a distinct wet season, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
PET felt handles the wet months without absorbing moisture or feeding mould. Timber and wood wool want a ventilated cavity and a stable indoor RH.
The failure we design against here is wet-season humidity behind linings.
Where a consultant is already engaged on a Melbourne project, we supply to their specification and send the test reports rather than describing them. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Before you buy
The six errors that cost the most
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Absorption on the office wall for a plant room problem
Noise with a source is fixed at the source. Treating the receiving room is the expensive way to get a small result.
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Lagging a duct that is carrying the noise as breakout from the fan
Noise with a source is fixed at the source. Treating the receiving room is the expensive way to get a small result.
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Ignoring structure borne vibration through the mounts
It sounds like a small detail until the room is finished and the complaint arrives.
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Treating it as a generic Melbourne job
Live rooms in old warehouses with new apartments built alongside. Containment of low frequency is what keeps them operating.
05 / Getting it there
What the route into Melbourne actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Port of Melbourne, then a short road run to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Port of Melbourne |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into the Port of Melbourne, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Melbourne projects
What makes HVAC, plant and machine noise control different in Melbourne?
Ducted systems and split units, with outdoor units close to boundaries where neighbour noise limits apply. Live rooms in old warehouses with new apartments built alongside. Containment of low frequency is what keeps them operating.
Where should the budget go first on a Melbourne project?
At source. Enclosure, barrier or anti vibration mounts at the machine. In the path. Duct lining, attenuators and lagging on the first run out of the plant.
Do you have an office or installation team in Melbourne?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Melbourne. 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 Melbourne site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Port of Melbourne, then a short road run to site, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Absorption on the office wall for a plant room problem. Lagging a duct that is carrying the noise as breakout from the fan.
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
We quote from drawings, not from a square foot rate. Send a plan and the section through the critical wall or ceiling and you will get something you can actually build from.