Wednesday 22 July 2009 - Acoustics

Acoustis^® 50: A 3D swimming pool by Mermet 

 

The noise of children screaming, people diving, echos... swimming pools are normally very noisy public areas. Reducing sound resonance, without spoiling the atmosphere, is often a major requirement, but difficult to achieve because of the humidity level.

Acoustis®50 fabric provides a simple yet effective solution, as it once again demonstrates when installed in a tensile structure at the Chauray aquatic centre. 

Constructed from a three-dimensional framework, both aesthetic and hi-tech, the Chauray swimming pool structure required complete refurbishment. The old solution using a fabric covered with mineral wool was successful from the acoustics point of view, but has suffered significant deterioration over time.
The product sought after by the acoustician needed to be a decorative, non-fibrous and durable fabric, with acoustic properties at least equal to those of the original solution (average reaction time ≤ 1.5s).

 

 

The installation of Acoustis® 50 by Mermet was always going to prove successful thanks to:
- its coated fibreglass weave and special patented acoustic weft which enable it to absorb sound waves without the addition of fibrous materials or foam, i.e.:
- a light acoustic solution, very thin, which is easy to install,
- obvious decorative advantages with 12 different colours available.
- its rot-proof qualities and thermal resistance guaranteeing a healthy atmosphere in even the most humid environments,
- its high mechanical resistance to breaking, tearing or folding and its perfect dimensional stability, enabling it to be installed in a tensile structure,
- its safety guarantee. With a non-flammable fire classification, certified to Greenguard® and Oeko-tex standard 100, and bearer of the Enduris^TM Glass Core quality label, Acoustis® 50 meets all the requirements for use in public areas.

Guaranteed results

By significantly reducing acoustic reverberation (absorption coefficient αw ≥ 0.7), Acoustis® 50 allows to limit the ambient sound level, and to help communication by improving the intelligibility of the spoken word.
This is fully backed up by the before-and-after study carried out by an acoustician at the site.

Measures taken before work started, with a perforated tank and a tensile ceiling textile (minus the already-removed rock wool), showed a reverberation duration of 1.9s, i.e; a relatively good performance level for this type of building.
After work was complete, the reduction in average reaction time was significant with a final reverberation level of just 1.4s, way exceeding expectations!

In total, 108 triangles (3m x 3m x 3.90m) of Mermet panels, that's 670m2, were used.
Aesthetic and hi-tech, the Acoustis® 50 fabric, launched in 2006 and once again featuring in the new Mermet® 2009-2012 collection, is continuing to make inroads into the market where it remains a quite unique reference product.

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