Problem:
Restaurants where noise level increases when they increase its activity. When it is fully crowded, the noise is considerable and customers complain of a lack of privacy.
This problem is due to the architecture and materials of the room: the restaurant has a large volume, has a high ceiling and is made up of many reflective surfaces – large windows that provide the room with light from outside and a polished floor – producing reflections of sound waves that generate high reverberation.
Objective:
To improve the acoustic comfort of the room by reducing reverberation, while at the same time integrating the solutions into the decoration. This not only improves the intimacy of the diners, but also gives added decorative value.
Intervention:
- Step 1 – Diagnosis: By carrying out in situ tests of the reverberation time of the restaurant – following the international standard ISO 3382-2, established as applicable in the Technical Building Code – and using the appropriate measuring instrumentation – Type 1 sound level meter according to standard IEC 61672.1 and omnidirectional sound source to emit pink noise -, the results of the reverberation time of the room are obtained, giving us a diagnosis of the existing reverberation level.
- Step 2 – Design of solutions: As all our acoustic fabrics have been tested according to the ISO 354 standard, we have the absorption coefficient of all of them. Based on this parameter and the reverberation time data obtained, we calculate the surface area of panels needed to reduce reverberation. The placement and orientation of the panels are particularly important for the performance to be effective – installation is possible on walls and ceilings. Once the solutions have been chosen based on technical criteria, the next step is the decorative design, where it is possible to combine colours, textures and patterns.
- Step 3 – Installation: the corrective measures are installed inside the room -acoustic panels-. The process is quick, so that the owners do not have to carry out any works and do not have to interrupt their service.
- Step 4 – Verification: measurements are taken of the room after installing the acoustic solutions in order to check their effectiveness -by comparing the results with those obtained in the diagnosis-.
