Christ Church of Arlington

Don StrahleDon joined Acoustical Solutions when the business began in 1997. He works with contractors and architects on projects throughout the United States and internationally, including large high-profile projects at the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian. Don is also an avid NASCAR fan and self-proclaimed foodie. 1-800-782-5742 Ext. 0114

Acoustical Solutions recently worked with the Christ Church of Arlington, Virginia to solve an echo and reverberation problem. This was making fellowship time almost unbearable for many members and visitors. The noise reduction solution was to install hanging curved acoustic baffles, which are a lively alternative to acoustical wall panels.

Array of Sonex® Whisperwave® Clouds in ceiling to reduce sound reverberation.

An array of Sonex® Whisperwave® Clouds in the ceiling reduce sound reverberation.

The Challenge

Fellowship is an extremely important concept and practice in churches around the world. Essentially, fellowship is members of a congregation gathering: communicating, socializing, and discussing everything from church business, faith, and family matters to the big Sunday night game. To make this experience as satisfying as possible for its members and visitors, Christ Church of Arlington contacted Acoustical Solutions. “The problem was too much noise when the room was occupied – which is often!” says Humphrey Mar, a deacon and member of the church’s building committee. “People had to raise their voices just to talk to the person right in front of them. And that only exacerbated the problem.” Christ Church of Arlington was experiencing high levels of reverberation due to hard, flat, reflective surfaces in its fellowship hall. This resulted in low speech intelligibility, which made some members rethink participation. “It was so bad that some of our elderly members simply gave up on ‘fellowship time’ because they couldn’t socialize,” Humphrey explains.

Sonex® Whisperwave® Clouds in ceiling for modern, clean look.

Sonex® Whisperwave® Clouds installed in the ceiling for a modern, clean look.

The Solution

To treat the space, Whisperwave® Ceiling Clouds were hung from the ceiling. The panels were easy to mount and installed in a way that was not only effective, but also aesthetically-pleasing. “The installation wasn’t hard for us amateur volunteers. And at least the way we installed it, it was extremely forgiving in terms of not having to line up everything,” Humphrey says. Whisperwave® Ceiling Clouds are curved acoustic products that absorb sound energy. Whisperwave® Ceiling Clouds are a very popular stylized alternative to more traditional acoustical panels, which are often flat. In addition to being extremely effective at absorbing sound (NRC Rating: .85 – .95), the entire Whisperwave® line is made from Class 1 Fire Rated acoustic foam.

Sonex® Whisperwave® Clouds in ceiling to reduce noise and increase speech intelligibility.

Sonex® Whisperwave® Clouds installed in the ceiling reduce noise and increase speech intelligibility.

The Result

After the project’s completion, Christ Church of Arlington had a space that both sounded and looked better. “The net effect has been a dramatic improvement, especially directly beneath the clouds,” Humphrey says. It looks and sounds like folks just might be sticking around a little longer for ‘fellowship time’ now that they can understand each other.

To learn more about how Acoustical Solutions can solve your noise control problems, use our contact form, call one of our Acoustical Sales Consultants at (800) 782-5742, or visit us on the web at acousticalsolutions.com.

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Christ Church of Arlington

The Issue

The Challenge

The Solution

The Result