Project Challenge

This 280㎡ independent bookshop in central Edinburgh includes a multi-use event space at the back, hosting author readings, book launches, children’s story time and small community talks. Housed in a historic stone building with high vaulted ceilings, the space creates strong mid-low frequency standing waves and uneven sound distribution. Speech sounds muddy during readings, microphones feed back easily, and audience members at the back complain they can’t follow the content. The bookshop needed acoustic tuning suitable for both spoken word and small audio events, while respecting the listed building’s historic interior and avoiding structural damage to walls.

Our Solution

On side and rear walls of the event space 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 stone vault 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. Panels were mounted using a reversible hanging system that does not penetrate or damage the historic stone walls.

On the ceiling perimeter we used high-density fiberglass acoustic tiles, NRC 0.90–0.95, to control overhead reflections and even out sound coverage across all seating.

All panels meet EN 13501 Class A fire safety for UK public assembly venues. We used a dark matte finish that blends into the bookshop’s warm wood interior, no visible industrial look.

Project Results

Speech intelligibility improved by an estimated 45% across all seating areas, with readings now clear even from the back row. Microphone feedback issues were eliminated, and event audio quality improved dramatically. Audience satisfaction scores for event quality are up 30%, and community event booking volume is up 28%.