Circa Gallery

The Issue

Only days before its grand reopening, Circa Gallery in Minneapolis found its new space too loud and “lively.” A quick installation of Sonex® Valueline Acoustic Foam panels the day before the reopening solved the problem.

Now, the contemporary art gallery has the right amount of “liveliness” and is more attractive to visitors’ eyes and ears.

About the Client

“While our new gallery space was under construction and full of materials, we didn’t notice how noisy it was,” says Russ Belk, owner of Circa Gallery, “When the space was finished, we noticed that you could whisper in one corner and hear it in another corner. That environment is much too ‘live’ for a gallery.”

The Challenge

The Solution

Circa Gallery installed 72 White Sonex® Valueline Acoustic Foam panels on the ceiling above the pipes in the 2,000-square-foot space.

The panels were mounted in a checkerboard pattern. Circa staff attached the panels themselves using the Sonex® Panel Adhesive. Sonex® Valueline Acoustic Foam, are tiles offering excellent acoustical control across all frequencies, with Noise Reduction Coefficients (NRCs) ranging from 0.75 to 1.05. They are especially effective at absorbing excessive sound at the middle frequencies (500 and 1,000 Hz), where unwanted noise and reverberation can interfere with communication.

Circa Gallery installed acoustical foam on the ceiling to reduce the echo in their space.

Circa Gallery installed acoustical foam on the ceiling to reduce the echo in their space.

The Result

Sonex® Valueline Acoustic Foam panels provide effective acoustic control at an affordable price. The subtle surface pattern on the panels renders them inconspicuous in most settings, making them suitable for interior settings, including offices, conference rooms, religious facilities and classrooms. Sonex® Valueline Acoustic Foam is made from a melamine material, which is Class 1 Fire Rated and meets the corner burn test UL 1715. Sonex® Valueline Acoustic Foam mounts easily to any ceiling or wall surface with the Sonex® Acoustic Panel Adhesive.

In the Customer’s Own Words

“We opened in October 2007, the night after installing the Sonex® panels. Now the space looks and sounds the way we want. In fact, it’s better than I thought it would be. We’ve had deejays and music in the space, and the acoustics are great. I think acoustic problems are much more pervasive than people think. I’m glad this solution worked so wonderfully for us.”

— Russ Belk, Owner, Circa Gallery


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.