Improving acoustics by reducing reverberation within Ashby Scouts Centre

Background

Established in 1976, the 4^th Ashby de la Zouch Scout Group is a thriving organisation which provides opportunities for young people in the local area to join the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. More than 175 young people take part in weekly meetings in which volunteers organise a wide range of activities for them to have fun, play games, socialise and learn new things.

In 2021, the North West Leicestershire group increased its capacity to enable more young people to get involved when it moved to its current HQ in the in the village of Donisthorpe. Scouting volunteers worked hard to modernise the building to create the right environment for the activities that the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts would be undertaking, but like many halls of its kind there was a significant acoustic issue that needed to be addressed.

The problem

The Donisthorpe Scout Centre’s main hall was acoustically uncomfortable. When it was fully occupied, background noise was excessively high which made speech intelligibility poor and impacted on the engagement and enjoyment levels of the young people during activities. It was also physically demanding for volunteers having to constantly shout to make themselves heard as they organised activities.

The acoustic issue here was reverberation, a common problem which stems from the use of hard, durable materials in the construction and décor of buildings designed to accommodate group activities. While materials such as wooden flooring, plastered walls and large glass windows are excellent choices for their longevity and ease of cleaning, they have a far less positive contribution to acoustics as soundwaves generated from speech, music and other activities have little scope to be absorbed – they simply bounce back into the room to make it uncomfortably noisy.

The solution

Sound Reduction Systems were tasked with addressing this reverberation after been contacted by Jon Bloor, volunteer leader of 4th Ashby de la Zouch Scout Group. After receiving his description of the issue, the SRS team recommended the installation of its class A rated Sonata Aurio, which are purpose-designed to absorb soundwaves in applications of this type.

Sonata Aurio absorbers are an efficient way of reducing reverberation within most kinds of buildings. Scout huts, village halls, school halls, or in any large, open area can benefit from them, and the potential improvements can be indicated by completing the simple 3-Step Estimator form on the SRS website. Alternatively, the room dimensions and photos of the ceiling and walls within the room can be sent to the SRS team via email or WhatsApp.

The key to providing the most effective reverberation solution using these absorber panels is to understand how many are needed to achieve the target acoustic improvement and where they should be mounted within a room. This is where the extensive experience of the SRS team benefited the scout group most, informing their proposal and providing a solution that was guaranteed to make a significant acoustic improvement.

Just over 34 sq. m of Sonata Aurio absorbers were installed to the ceiling within the main room, with their finished in light and dark blue fabrics improving aesthetics too. This process was carried out by the company’s professional team in just one day, meaning minimal disruption to the use of the room.

The results

Improvements to acoustic conditions where reverberation is the issue are assessed by calculating the reverberation time before and after installation of the absorber panels. In this instance, the reverberation time in the main hall was reduced from 2.19s to 0.96s, a reduction that Jon, his volunteer colleagues and all the young people who use the hall immediately noticed.

Client feedback

Jon Bloor, volunteer leader of 4^th Ashby de la Zouch Scout Group said:

"Thank you both (you and your two fitters) for guiding us and delivering a solution to the noise problems we have endured for several years in such a quick time. Last night we all noticed the difference - it was possible to have conversations in the hall rather than shouting all the time.

“I've recommended you to my boss for his scouts and also a couple of groups down the road who struggle - I'll continue to do so."