Type of works: supply and installation of Woodsorba Pro timber acoustic panels.

Weavers leisure centre in Wellingborough is used for a number of activities including school sports and community events. The ability to use the hall for these activities was important and to do this effectively the hall needed to support clear communication.

The walls in the hall were made from very hard surfaces, designed to withstand years of use from a variety of sporting activities. When sound hits the hard surfaces, it bounces back into the hall and results in high noise levels and poor speech intelligibility, in these situations people tend to raise their voices in order to be heard over the reverberant noise, further exacerbating the situation.

Weavers leisure centre wanted a solution to this problem which would reduce the reverberant noise but have a degree of impact resistance to ensure lasting performance. After speaking to Soundsorba it was decided that the best product for the hall was the Woodsorba Pro timber acoustic panels. These panels look decorative and come in a range of real wood veneers, melamine veneers and also a standard painted finish. They are also impact resistant so are suitable for areas of high impact such as sports halls.

A real wood, Maple finish was chosen and the panels were installed on the ceiling of the sports hall. Not only did the panels effectively solve the acoustic problem and create an environment which could be used for a wide range of different activities, they also looked great.