Williamsburg Regional Library Acoustic Treatment

Kathy PalimoreKathy has been with Acoustical Solutions since 1998. With her background as a technical sales rep in the engineering industry, she easily grasps complex industrial projects. Kathy loves the challenge of soundproofing gymnasiums and multipurpose rooms for schools, worship facilities, and sports arenas. 1-800-782-5742 Ext. 0116

Fabric wrapped acoustic panels on the walls in the children's area of the Williamsburg Regional Library.

The Issue

The Williamsburg Regional Library contacted Acoustical Solutions because they needed to reduce the noise levels in their children’s area. When the children were in this area you could hear the voices echoing through the library. The noise was reverberating off all the hard surfaces in many areas of the library. It became unbearable so we needed to come up with a solution to improve speech intelligibility and reduce the overall noise.

In the children's area of a library, fabric wrapped acoustic panels reduce reverberation in the space.

About the Client

Founded in 1909 in the front hall of the historic Saint George Tucker House with 50 volumes, the Williamsburg Regional Library grew and relocated many times. It began serving James City County residents in 1926. The library moved to its present location in 1973 with about 12,000 volumes and was first expanded there in 1981. The Williamsburg Regional Library was created by a contract between the City of Williamsburg and James City County as an independent agency in 1977.

The Challenge

The primary challenge in this space was the children’s area and the doors in the space. The entire space had hard surfaces. This is an open space and the voices of the children echoed throughout the library. We had to dampen the sound in this area because it was difficult for the other patrons to focus.

The Solution

Acoustical Solutions recommended our AlphaSorb® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels. These panels are used to reduce noise and reverberation and are available in a wide variety of sizes and vibrant colors. The library chose to wrap their panels in Guilford of Maine Anchorage Fabric. We installed the panels around the top of the walls in the children’s area. This would disperse sound absorption evenly throughout the space and offer the best treatment. For the doors in the space, we installed PrivacyShield® Soundproofing Door Seal Kits. The kit includes jamb seals, a threshold seal, and an automatic door bottom to acoustically seal a door. The door seal kit reduces the noise going around the perimeter of the door.

The Result

The results were fantastic and super-effective. After adding materials to this area, it knocked down the reverberation time. The library was ecstatic over how the room improved.

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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