For projects in Vancouver
Cinema and multiplex soundproofing in Vancouver
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. Community centres, school gymnasiums and church halls carry speech, music and sport in the same hard volume.
- 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 / Start here
What this is, and what it changes in a Vancouver room
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.
Community centres, school gymnasiums and church halls carry speech, music and sport in the same hard volume.
Work reaching us from Vancouver is mostly mass timber and light frame housing, condominium towers, offices, schools, studios, clinics.
- Timber is light Mass timber looks solid and performs nothing like concrete at low frequency. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, not more absorption.
- Rain on the roof Metal and membrane roofs over open volumes turn heavy rain into a noise source worth designing for rather than discovering.
- Damp, mild climate PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which suits cold external walls and sealed rooms.
- 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 Vancouver.
02 / The build-up
The stack, in the order it is installed
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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 Vancouver, forced air heating runs most of the year, so duct-borne noise and return air paths carry sound between rooms as reliably as the walls do.
Wall, decoupled. Independent stud, membrane between the boards, cavity absorption, two boards. The membrane is one part of a system, never the whole answer.
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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 Vancouver, community centres, school gymnasiums and church halls carry speech, music and sport in the same hard volume.
Resilient bar. Where a full independent leaf will not fit. Effective, and very easy to short circuit with one wrong screw.
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Layer 3
Acoustic carpet and rugs
A tile carpet with a dense polyester face on a felt backing. In Vancouver, school buildings run hard floors and lay-in tile with long heating seasons and sealed envelopes, so rooms stay live and mechanical noise is always present.
Loose lay on tackifier. Tiles lifted individually for access under a raised floor, which is why tile beats broadloom in an office.
If you are specifying for a Vancouver project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What the buildings in Vancouver do to the specification
- Timber is light
Mass timber looks solid and performs nothing like concrete at low frequency. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, not more absorption.
- Rain on the roof
Metal and membrane roofs over open volumes turn heavy rain into a noise source worth designing for rather than discovering.
- Damp, mild climate
PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which suits cold external walls and sealed rooms.
- The port is right here
Direct sea into Vancouver means no rail leg across the country, so the landed cost and the date are both easier to hold.
- Assembly and performance rooms
Community centres, school gymnasiums and church halls carry speech, music and sport in the same hard volume.
04 / Room by room
What each space in a Vancouver project needs
-
Screen to screen
Independent construction between auditoria, with services broken at the line. Mass timber looks solid and performs nothing like concrete at low frequency. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, not more absorption.
- 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
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In room response
Heavy absorption on side and rear walls so the mix is heard as intended. Metal and membrane roofs over open volumes turn heavy rain into a noise source worth designing for rather than discovering.
- 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
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Plant and projection
Equipment noise into the auditorium, treated at source. PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which suits cold external walls and sealed rooms.
- 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
Designers get colour, pattern and CNC options with the absorption figure attached to each. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate
Why the climate in Vancouver changes the material, not the target
Vancouver 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 Vancouver 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
Six mistakes that turn into a second fit-out
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A shared service void running across the wall line
Square metre for square metre the ceiling is the cheapest result in the room. Skipping it and buying wall panels instead is the most common way to overspend.
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Treating the auditorium to fix bleed from the next screen
Small on the drawing, expensive on site, and almost always found after handover.
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Doors and lobbies specified late and undersized
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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Treating it as a generic Vancouver job
Mass timber looks solid and performs nothing like concrete at low frequency. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, not more absorption.
05 / Route to site
What the route into Vancouver actually looks like
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Vancouver, then a short road run to site |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea into Vancouver |
| 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 direct into Vancouver, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Vancouver projects
What makes cinema and multiplex soundproofing different in Vancouver?
Community centres, school gymnasiums and church halls carry speech, music and sport in the same hard volume. Mass timber looks solid and performs nothing like concrete at low frequency. Added mass and a decoupled layer do the work, not more absorption.
Where should the budget go first on a Vancouver 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 Vancouver?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Vancouver. 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 Vancouver site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Vancouver, 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?
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 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.