For projects in Prague
HVAC, plant and machine noise control in Prague
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. Mechanical ventilation in newer buildings and radiator heating in older stock, so duct noise is a newer problem than it looks.
- 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 / The material
What this is, and what it changes in a Prague room
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.
Mechanical ventilation in newer buildings and radiator heating in older stock, so duct noise is a newer problem than it looks.
Work reaching us from Prague is mostly hotel conversions, apartments, production and studio spaces, offices, restaurants, clinics.
- Protected buildings, internal fixes only In the centre you often cannot alter the structure or the facade. The work has to be internal, shallow and ideally reversible, which rules out most thick framed systems.
- Conversions into guest rooms Old buildings divided into hotel rooms and short lets put beds either side of walls that were never separating walls. Door and corridor details cause more complaints than anything else.
- A production city Stages, edit rooms and post production spaces need the shell to isolate before anything else is decided. There is no partial credit on a room like that.
- 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 Prague.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
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Layer 1
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Prague, mechanical ventilation in newer buildings and radiator heating in older stock, so duct noise is a newer problem than it looks.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
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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 Prague, concert halls, church buildings and civic rooms are long-decay volumes in stone and plaster.
Floating floor. Resilient layer and deck, to break impact energy before it reaches the structure.
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Layer 3
Ceiling baffles and clouds
PET felt suspended from the soffit, vertically as baffles or horizontally as clouds. In Prague, school buildings are hard surfaced with long corridors, and gymnasiums double as assembly halls.
Mixed with services. Set out around ducts, trays and lighting rather than fighting them, coordinated from your reflected ceiling plan.
If you are specifying for a Prague 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 Prague briefs
- Protected buildings, internal fixes only
In the centre you often cannot alter the structure or the facade. The work has to be internal, shallow and ideally reversible, which rules out most thick framed systems.
- Conversions into guest rooms
Old buildings divided into hotel rooms and short lets put beds either side of walls that were never separating walls. Door and corridor details cause more complaints than anything else.
- A production city
Stages, edit rooms and post production spaces need the shell to isolate before anything else is decided. There is no partial credit on a room like that.
- Hard stone, long reverberation
Stone, plaster and tile in tall rooms hold sound for a long time. Speech stops being intelligible well before the room sounds obviously wrong.
- Plant and HVAC
Mechanical ventilation in newer buildings and radiator heating in older stock, so duct noise is a newer problem than it looks.
04 / Room by room
Room by room, on a typical Prague job
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At source
Enclosure, barrier or anti vibration mounts at the machine. In the centre you often cannot alter the structure or the facade. The work has to be internal, shallow and ideally reversible, which rules out most thick framed systems.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, 2100 kg per cubic metre
- 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. Old buildings divided into hotel rooms and short lets put beds either side of walls that were never separating walls. Door and corridor details cause more complaints than anything else.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- 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. Stages, edit rooms and post production spaces need the shell to isolate before anything else is decided. There is no partial credit on a room like that.
- SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl, STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- Wood wool acoustic panels, 0.30
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 0.85
For a Prague interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate and durability
Why the climate in Prague changes the material, not the target
Prague 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.
If a consultant has set the target, we will quote against their figures rather than ours, and stay out of the scope they own. More on working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Before you buy
Where this kind of project usually fails
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Absorption on the office wall for a plant room problem
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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Lagging a duct that is carrying the noise as breakout from the fan
Enclose the machine, break the vibration path, then deal with what is left. Doing it in the other order costs more and achieves less.
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Ignoring structure borne vibration through the mounts
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Treating it as a generic Prague job
In the centre you often cannot alter the structure or the facade. The work has to be internal, shallow and ideally reversible, which rules out most thick framed systems.
05 / Route to site
Supply into Prague, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Hamburg, then rail and road into Prague |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Hamburg |
| 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 Hamburg, then rail and road into Prague. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Prague projects
What makes HVAC, plant and machine noise control different in Prague?
Mechanical ventilation in newer buildings and radiator heating in older stock, so duct noise is a newer problem than it looks. In the centre you often cannot alter the structure or the facade. The work has to be internal, shallow and ideally reversible, which rules out most thick framed systems.
Where should the budget go first on a Prague 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 Prague?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Prague. 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 Prague site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Hamburg, then rail and road into Prague, 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?
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 a plan and a section, get a real build-up
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.