Acoustic optimization of living spaces for a better quality of living

Regardless of whether it is a new or old building – acoustic problems occur in almost all untreated rooms. An excessively long reverberation time can drastically reduce the feel-good factor within your own four walls. The consequences are lots of reflections, long reverberation tails, unpleasant booming and poor speech intelligibility.

These problems often only become apparent when the room has already been built and is newly occupied. In this article, you can find out what measures you can take to improve the acoustics in living spaces, both structurally and retrospectively.

Planning for new construction/conversion

Most houses these days are built in a very minimalist style. However, hard, bare surfaces made of concrete or Ytong have a negative effect on the reverberation time and create problematic room acoustics in living spaces. It is therefore important to consider the right materials or wall structures in advance. An architect with acoustic experience or a building acoustician are good contacts here.

However, acoustically effective building materials can only help to a certain extent. Depending on how the room is used, additional acoustic measures or acoustic modules may be necessary to meet the acoustic requirements of living spaces and significantly increase the quality of living.

Wall cladding made of wood or metal

With wood paneling, individual living areas can be op
and optimized acoustically at the same time. These measures are familiar from opera houses and concert halls: Wooden panels with small, full-surface perforations significantly reduce the sound within the room. Such wooden constructions are also often seen in the form of acoustic or perforated ceilings.

In contrast to the uneven, rather porous and therefore acoustically positive surface of wood, metal surfaces should be treated with caution. Metals are available as smooth, studded, room-high or small-scale coverings. Acoustically, the room deteriorates due to the hard surface: the sound is reflected back unchanged. In living areas, large areas of smooth metal should therefore only be fitted with additional sound insulation and reverberation minimization measures to avoid reflections elsewhere. These can be porous, interwoven, textured surfaces, furniture such as sofas or armchairs and acoustic modules.

Floor coverings and carpets

The floor covering is a surface that is rarely considered from an acoustic point of view compared to the wall and ceiling design and the furniture. However, hard floor coverings have a disadvantage compared to soft floor coverings in terms of acoustic values, impact sound insulation and the perceived “reverberation” of the room. Large carpet areas can provide a remedy, as these are acoustically and visually well suited for living rooms. The higher the pile of the carpet, the better the acoustic effect. However, it should be noted that carpets do not absorb all frequencies equally well and the acoustic effect is therefore limited – low mids and basses cannot be absorbed even by high-pile carpets. However, carpets generally have a positive effect on speech intelligibility.

Windows and doors

It is now common practice to install triple-glazed windows. However, this is not always the case in older buildings. Retrofitting windows is usually associated with high prices and a great deal of effort. Acoustic curtains can therefore make a big difference here. On the one hand, the curtain covers a smooth surface (the window), which means that the glass no longer emits annoying reflections. On the other hand, sound insulation (i.e. the separation of living spaces from the environment) is also improved. Insulating curtains (ISO curtains) in particular can be used to keep out street noise and other disturbing noises. The same applies to old entrance doors that lead into a stairwell, for example, or between rooms with different types of use such as offices and children’s rooms. Acoustic curtains are absolute miracle weapons for improving room acoustics and acoustic separation with an unsurpassed price-performance ratio.

Optimization of living spaces with modular acoustic solutions

Structural measures to reduce the reverberation time in living spaces are often expensive and difficult to implement retrospectively. Acoustic modules mounted on walls and ceilings are therefore suitable for cost-effective and stylish acoustic optimization.

Wall and ceiling sails are particularly effective and visually unobtrusive. These can be integrated almost seamlessly into walls or ceilings with the right color. A good example of a suitable place for sails is the dining area, as this is where several people spend long periods of time. Acoustic sails could be attached to the ceiling here, for example, to minimize reverberation. This makes for noticeably more pleasant conversations and a greater sense of well-being.

Acoustic pictures offer great scope for design, as they can be printed with predetermined or your own motifs and also reduce the reverberation time. They are particularly effective in the frequency range of the human voice.

With many acoustic measures, not enough attention is paid to the fact that reverberation does not only consist of mid and high frequencies. The low mids and bass play a decisive role in certain room uses, even in the living area. If the room is only used as a living room, curtains, sails and pictures should be preferred, as the frequency spectrum of human speech begins above the bass range.

In home cinemas, hi-fi rooms and whenever a good stereo system is available, bass traps should also be included in the acoustic concept. This allows the stereo system to develop its full sonic effect – unpleasant booming is prevented. A suitable bass trap is particularly effective in the low frequencies and therefore contributes to balanced and pleasant-sounding room acoustics.

Acoustic modules recommended for living spaces

Do you have any questions about our acoustic modules or would you like a personal consultation?
Simply get in touch with us. We will be happy to advise you personally and create an individual room acoustics plan for you.