Project Challenge

This 310㎡ community library multi-purpose hall in Edinburgh, UK hosts reading sessions, children’s story time, small lectures and community film screenings. The original stone walls and high barrel ceiling create strong mid-low frequency standing waves and uneven sound distribution. Speech is muddy during readings and announcements, and audio from film screenings lacks clarity and balance. The hall needed acoustic tuning suitable for both spoken word and audio playback, while respecting the listed building’s historic interior character.

Our Solution

On side and rear walls we installed a grooved and perforated resonant acoustic panel system, paired with mineral wool infill and rear air cavities. We ran acoustic simulation on the hall’s volume and geometry, then precisely tuned the slot and perforation ratios to target the 250–1000Hz mid-low frequency standing waves causing most of the clarity issues. The whole system hits NRC 0.90, delivering balanced full-band sound absorption suitable for both speech and audio playback. On the ceiling we used high-density fiberglass acoustic tiles, NRC 0.90–0.95, to control overhead reflections and even out sound coverage across all seating areas.

All panels meet EN 13501 Class A fire safety for UK public assembly venues. We used a warm oak-effect wall finish that complements the historic stone interior, no modern industrial look.

Project Results

Speech intelligibility improved by an estimated 46% across all seating areas, with readings now clear even from the back of the hall. Film screenings have clearer dialogue and tighter bass response. The hall can now reliably host all types of community events without extra temporary sound gear, and community group booking volume is up 29%.