As reverberation is caused by sounds
bouncing off hard surfaces, minimising the
number of those hard surfaces will be a
solid first step. If this isn’t possible – and,
for hygiene reasons, cafes need wipe-clean
surfaces – it’s possible to counter the impact
of all these reverberant surfaces by adding
absorbent materials. The most commonly
employed anti-reverberation product is the
sound absorption panel. These are fabric
covered and are mounted on the walls or
suspended from the ceiling. When the sound
wave enters the open cell structure or
fibrous composition of the panel, it bounces
around like a pinball. The friction resulting
from each instance of impact is converted
into low-level heat, which is absorbed
into the material. When the sound wave
re-emerges, its energy – and consequently its
‘loudness’ – is significantly diminished.
A useful measure for the effectiveness of
any sound absorption solution is BB93:
acoustic design of schools – performance
standards, which gives the minimum
performance standards required for
acoustics in school buildings. Although
this document only refers to schools,
architects often use it as a benchmark
when treating reverberation issues generally.BB93 requires that the Reverberation Time
in a classroom be as little as 0.4 seconds in
some cases. So, the sound pressure of the
reflected noise has to decrease by 60
decibels in less than half a second. Although
this might not be necessary in a cafe
environment, it’s a worthy target.Challenges
Some environments are more challenging
than others. Recently, CMS Danskin
Acoustics had to reduce reverberation issues
in the cafe at the Royal Observatory in
Edinburgh, a building that is well over 100
years old, with all that entails in terms of
adapting to modern Building Regulations.
In such cases, design flexibility is key,
fabricating to fit the unusual shapes and
angles typical to listed buildings, and even
creating sound absorption panels that
accommodated antique light fittings.
By taking reverberation out of the ‘noise
mix’ – visitors to the cafe can speak clearly
over the other acoustic intrusions, without
having to raise their voices and set in
motion the dreaded Lombard Effect.Paul Absolon is technical director at
CMS Danskin Acoustics72INSULATIONWWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF NOVEMBER 2019
Childcare institutions with sound design
The design of spaces for children is intriguing because of the permanent influence it can have on them. A new
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how good acoustics plays its part when designing these areas. Of course, other factors such as colour, shapes,
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sounds. If acoustic absorption is ineffective, discomfort and irritation will result from the reverberations. If it
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