PT Golf Club Break Room

The Issue

An employee lounge can provide a much-needed rest area for hard-working staff. However, when the room has an atrocious echo effect, it is unlikely to be used to its fullest potential or even at all. A golf club based in Dallas, Texas contacted Acoustical Solutions about how to minimize the reverberation in their break room. The goal was to improve the comfort of those that use the room.

The Challenge

Management wanted to improve the experience the staff had when they used the lounge. Even though this was a relatively small space, the echo was bad enough to make it very difficult to communicate, much less relax. Since the room was too loud and reverberant, the staff did not often use the room as intended. This room is 13′ x 13′ x 10′ with painted cinder block and tile floors with little or no fluffy material to absorb sound. Additionally, rooms that have similar dimensions will have amplified acoustical problems.

The Solution

To combat the fatiguing room echo, a four-foot-tall band of AlphaSorb^® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels were installed around the upper part of the walls. The panel reduces the echo by trapping the sound within the cavern fibers of the acoustical fiberglass core. The club chose to use a natural earth color to accent their decor. Now the employees can relax and enjoy their breaks in a peaceful environment or have calm conversations with their colleagues.

PT Trail Golf Course Break Room — The band of acoustical panels installed in this break room provides a calm and quiet place for employees to relax and enjoy their meals.

The Result

Once installed, the AlphaSorb^® Fabric-Wrapped Acoustic Panels brought the reverb time down from over three seconds to under two seconds. The golf club’s management and their personnel are very happy with the results. Now the noise intensity is lower, there is increased speech intelligibility, providing a comfortable employee retreat.