John Marshall Courtroom Acoustic Treatment

Isaac HernandezIsaac has 8 years of experience in residential and commercial insulation projects. He specializes in multipurpose rooms, sports centers, and transportation projects. Isaac enjoys gaming and live concerts. Él habla español. 1-800-782-5742 Ext. 0144

John Marshall Court Room - Court room using AudioSeal® sound barriers and AlphaSorb® wall panels to block noise from holding room.

The John Marshall Court Room used AudioSeal® sound barriers and AlphaSorb® wall panels to block noise from the holding room.

The Issue

The John Marshall Courtroom in downtown Richmond, Virginia recently went through an architectural renovation. The finished space looked great, but no one had considered the sound problems that would arise from the renovation.With the large number of HVAC systems radiating throughout each terminal, it was imperative that a solution was sought to diminish the noise transmitting throughout the walls of the ducts.

Fabric wrapped wall panels and sound barriers reduce sound in a court room.

The Challenge

A holding cell was built out adjacent to the courtroom during renovation. Every time someone in the cell flushed the toilet, those in the courtroom could hear the noise. As one might imagine, the flushing sounds were very distracting to the judge and the officers of the court. After state officials consulted with an acoustical engineer, they brought in Acoustical Solutions to “flush” out the noise.

The Solution

The first thing Acoustical Solutions did was decouple the stainless steel toilet from the wall structure connected to the courtroom. This reduced the structure-borne sound that was transmitted through the walls. To do this, Acoustical Solutions first recommended that a plumber be brought in to pull the toilets. After that, Acoustical Solutions installed Isolation Washer Bushings between the toilets and the threaded mounts. Acoustical Solutions also recommended applying Antivibe® DL-10 Metal Damping Compound onto the back of the inside wall of the toilets to reduce the “ringing” sound reverberating through the toilet structure itself. Next, Acoustical Solutions addressed the airborne noise by installing AudioSeal® Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) Soundproofing Barrier, a product weighing one pound per square foot, inside the shared wall separating the courtroom from the holding cell. Acoustic Door Seal Kits were then added to the holding cell door to reduce the sound leaking out from around it. A 1% opening can let through 50% of the noise, so a tight seal is essential. Sonex® Contour Ceiling Tiles were also added to the cell to lower the reverberant noise. Finally, Acoustical Solutions installed AlphaSorb® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels from floor to ceiling inside the courtroom to absorb sound energy and lower ambient noise within the larger space.

The Result

The noise is gone and the judge is back in business — without the distracting background sound effects.

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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