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For projects in New Zealand
Venue and restaurant acoustics in New Zealand
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. School halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room.
- 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 / The material
What this material is and where it earns its place in New Zealand
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.
School halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room.
Work reaching us from New Zealand is mostly timber frame housing, apartments, offices, schools, clinics, studios.
- Timber frame, very little mass Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- Designed to move Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- A long sea leg This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- 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 New Zealand.
Nightclub and venue soundproofing SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
02 / The build-up
The build-up, layer by layer
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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 New Zealand, heat pumps and ducted systems, with outdoor units close to boundaries in dense suburbs.
Independent leaf. A second wall that does not touch the first. Nothing else comes close for the money.
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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 New Zealand, school halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room.
Mixed finish. Plain felt where it is out of eye line, printed or grooved where it is seen.
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Layer 3
Wooden slat acoustic panels
Timber slats on an acoustic backing. In New Zealand, classroom acoustics are taken seriously and open plan learning spaces are common, which makes speech intelligibility the design target.
Slats on a cavity. Backing plus an air gap behind moves absorption lower, which matters in music rooms.
For a New Zealand practice, the useful thing is a detail you can put in a drawing set, not a brochure. See how we support architects.
03 / What drives the brief
The New Zealand conditions that change the answer
- Timber frame, very little mass
Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- Designed to move
Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- A long sea leg
This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- Damp and variable climate
PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which suits cold external walls and sealed rooms.
- Assembly and performance rooms
School halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room.
04 / Room by room
Where the money goes on a New Zealand project
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Containment
Low frequency through structure to flats above and beside. Mass, decoupling and a sealed envelope. Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
- 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
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 2440 x 192 mm and 2440 x 128 mm
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Table level comfort
Absorption at the ceiling so guests stop raising their voices at each other. Seismic detailing means junctions and joints that have to stay flexible. An acoustic build-up has to respect that rather than bridge it rigidly.
- 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
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 14, 16 and 18 mm
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Entrance and service
Doors, lobbies and extract paths, which is where most of the leakage actually is. This is one of the longest routes we run. Ordering to a real schedule matters more here than anywhere else, so we quote the full window.
- Soundproofing materials, Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- Wooden slat acoustic panels, 96 sq ft per unit
For a New Zealand interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Conditions
The New Zealand climate decides the material list
New Zealand 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.
Where a consultant is already engaged on a New Zealand 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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Panels on the wall as a neighbour noise solution
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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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.
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Extract ducting that bypasses every wall you built
Plant noise treated as a room problem is the most reliable way to spend a budget and change nothing anyone can hear.
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Treating it as a generic New Zealand job
Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
05 / Supply
Getting it to New Zealand, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Auckland |
| 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 Auckland or Tauranga, then road to site. Air freight for samples and genuinely urgent quantities.
Questions from New Zealand projects
What makes venue and restaurant acoustics different in New Zealand?
School halls, marae and community centres carry speech and performance in the same hard room. Light construction passes low frequency easily. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, and absorption alone will not.
Where should the budget go first on a New Zealand 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 New Zealand?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into New Zealand. 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 New Zealand site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Auckland or Tauranga, then road 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?
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
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.