Project Challenge

This 320㎡ family-owned craft brewery taproom in Portland, Oregon features an exposed industrial interior with original brick walls, concrete floors and open ceiling joists. The space hosts tasting flights, food pop-ups and live trivia nights, but hard reflective surfaces create severe reverberation during peak hours. Draft system noise, glassware clinking and customer conversation build quickly, forcing staff to shout order details and making table conversation difficult. The owner wanted an acoustic solution that preserved the raw, industrial brewery aesthetic rather than installing generic foam or fabric panels that would clash with the space’s identity.

Solution

Cement-bonded wood wool acoustic ceiling panels were installed across the main seating and bar area, with an NRC rating of 0.80–0.90. The natural textured fibre-cement finish requires no additional paint, blending seamlessly with the exposed joist and brick interior while absorbing scattered reflected sound across the high-ceilinged space. Accent walls behind booth seating use E0-grade formaldehyde-free polyester fiber acoustic panels in warm terracotta tones, NRC 0.85–0.95, CNC cut to match the brewery’s wall-mounted tap list displays.

All panels carry ASTM E84 Class A fire certification, meeting US commercial food service venue safety requirements. Installation was completed during off-hours over 8 days with no disruption to regular operating hours.

Project Results

Peak-hour ambient noise across the taproom dropped by an estimated 35%. Customers can hold conversations at normal volume even at full capacity, and average dwell time increased by 22%. The textured wood wool ceiling reinforces the brewery’s industrial craft identity, with most patrons unaware it is a functional acoustic treatment.