Project Challenge

This 1,200㎡ independent digital animation studio in Christchurch, New Zealand uses an entirely open-plan layout with artist workstations, review rooms and glass meeting booths. Rows of monitors, hard wall surfaces and polished concrete floors create long reverberation times and noticeable cross-team sound leakage. Artists reported frequent distractions during deep drawing work, while dailies review sessions suffered from muddy audio quality. The studio prioritizes sustainable design and carbon reduction goals, so the solution had to use low-carbon recycled materials with low light reflection to avoid screen glare.

Our Solution

100% post-consumer recycled polyester fiber acoustic panels were installed on partition walls, structural columns and non-monitor facing walls throughout the studio, with a stable NRC rating of 0.85–0.95. The formaldehyde-free, ultra-low VOC formulation supports the studio’s indoor air quality and sustainability targets, contributing to their carbon reduction tracking. We selected a matte dark grey finish with low light reflectivity to avoid screen glare for artists. Review room interiors were lined with matching fabric-faced polyester panels to improve internal speech clarity and reduce sound transmission through glass gaps.

All materials carry EN 13501 Class A fire certification and are available in custom colors matched to studio branding. Lightweight modular installation was carried out in evening shifts over 10 days with no disruption to production schedules.

Project Results

Cross-team sound interference was reduced by an estimated 40%, and artist deep-work focus satisfaction scores increased by 37%. Dailies review audio clarity improved significantly, with teams reporting far fewer audio issues during shot reviews. The recycled material specification helped the studio advance its sustainable studio certification process.