Acoustic applications in gymnasium

Walk into a gymnasium and you can hear the echo from your footsteps as the sound ricochets off the floor, walls and ceiling. In some gyms, the echo can last as long as 10 seconds! The excessive reverberant field is the primary reason gymnasiums are one of the most challenging spaces of all in which to deploy a sound system.

More often than not, these spaces must not only perform as a sports venue, they are often imposed upon to be used as an assembly hall. This means that there must be sufficient acoustic treatment to subdue the reverberant field so that reasonable intelligibility can be achieved. The acoustic panels must seamlessly integrate with the surroundings, both from an aesthetic and a practical point. For instance, the acoustic panels must be able to handle the abuse from soccer balls, basketballs and all other forms of projectiles that will surely be launched by students during playtime.

The ultimate goal in a gym is to increase the intelligibility of the sound system while ensuring that the installation addresses the hazards that will surely come into play.

Defining the Problem
If we look at a typical gymnasium, sound from the public address (PA) system is aimed at the audience. The voice is amplified as a means to be loud enough to overpower the crowd. Sound reflecting off hard surfaces generates first order and secondary reflections causing a cacophony of echo. The brain must at once attempt to understand what is being said, while trying to ignore crowd noise and the reverberant field. As the sound system level is increased, the room becomes over-excited, the problem gets worse and more often than not, squealing feedback is introduced.

Acoustic products used in Gymnasium

Sound insulation panels can help absorb additional noise from music, narratives, interactive displays, and environmental noise that are common in museums. We offer a variety of sizes, materials and shapes to meet the unique concerns of museum aesthetics. For example, our team can create custom-sized acoustic panels to meet your size, shape, and fabric specifications.

Or, Art Acoustic Panels allows you to add digital printing on the sound-absorbing board substrate throughout the exhibition.

The sound baffle is installed on the ceiling hardware and is hardly noticeable in the environment.

Acoustic applications are not limited to exhibitions and displays. Consider adding sound processing in public areas and meeting places. The Dupage Children’s Museum used artistic acoustic panels in its children’s café to help improve the sound and visual effects of the area.