A building's listed status has been proved to be no bar to providing better acoustic performance.

Acoustics specialist Hodgson & Hodgson Group has proved that in a recent installation in the Victorian Town Hall building at Burton-on-Trent, (pictured) where the firm worked within the restrictions imposed by its listed status to come up with the best solution to improve the acoustics.

The Town Hall's main function facility, the Dove Room, suffered from a great deal of reverberant noise but, with much of the walls clad in timber panels, options to solve the problem were limited.

Added to this, a large section of the ceiling is taken up with a huge glass lighting panel that also could not be disturbed.

Hodgson & Hodgson suggested installing 50mm panels of its dB Absorber product around the upper parts of the walls and the remaining ceiling space.

The dB Absorber panels are designed primarily to reduce reverberant noise by improving acoustic absorption within the area being treated.


When installed directly below the roof space, they will also improve the thermal insulation of a building. Panels can be directly bonded to both horizontal and vertical surfaces, to provide an effective, economic alternative to a full-suspended acoustic ceiling.

Manufactured from sound-absorbing MelaTech foam covered with a high-quality acoustically transparent fabric, dB Absorbers can enhance the interior aesthetics of a room by creating a striking design feature.

In the Dove Room at Burton-on-Trent Town Hall, the specially cut panels were set at equal distances around the walls and ceiling and were colour co-ordinated to blend in with the original décor.

"The acoustics in the Dove Room are markedly improved following the installation of the Hodgson & Hodgson panels," said Douglas Liddell, Deputy Facilities Manager of East Staffordshire Borough Council.

"It is a mark of real expertise to have achieved this without making any negative impact on the existing fabric of this beautiful room."

Hodgson & Hodgson is a market leader in acoustic solutions and its aim is optimum acoustic performance, no matter what the application.

The Group also has an Acoustic Consultancy Division, offering advice on architectural acoustics and all aspects of noise and vibration control. Its highly-qualified consultants offer a full acoustic service, including testing, analysis, design, problem solving and troubleshooting and can advise on all aspects of noise control, including the undertaking of noise surveys to anticipate reverberation times both pre-and post-installation.

See: www.acoustic.co.uk

(BMcC)