Mekenita Cantina Mexican Restaurant is a hip and lively eatery in the heart of a booming culinary scene in downtown Tampa Florida. After the build out was complete, the space was experiencing high reverberation times which created an overpoweringly loud dining experience, and cause for complaint with patrons. This is where Commercial Acoustics came in to fit the space with acoustic ceiling clouds.
Mexican Restaurant Acoustic Treatment
To improve speech-intelligibility without modifying the decorative aesthetics, Commercial Acoustics added a custom acoustical absorption treatment to the ceiling. After running an acoustical analysis of the space, Commercial Acoustics determined the current reverberation time was 1.05 seconds. This is quite high for a lively restaurant environment and is a result of the many hard and reflective surfaces throughout the space including sealed concrete and brick. To lower the reverberation time to an acceptable 0.6 seconds, the addition of acoustic ceiling clouds with an NRC 1.05 were hung from the metal joists on black airline wire. This created the look that the owners desired, with panels floating just below the ceiling, hidden from view but very effective for absorption of speech-frequency.
Restaurant Acoustic Panel Installation – Issues and Solutions
Within 4 weeks of the initial site visit, Commercial Acoustics was able to analyze the sound levels, design a solution that made sense, manufacture and install the ceiling clouds during non-business hours. During installation, an interesting issue developed. The restaurant was built in the 1950s, and the ceiling was made of an older cement board type of material that the clouds could not hang from. Acoustic Ceiling Clouds are generally supported with drywall anchors into the ceiling and fastened with eye-bolts, or screwed directly into studs and joists with lag bolts. In some cases toggle bolts may be necessary for additional support, such as for larger panels. However, the thickness of the ceiling did not allow for sufficient grip of the toggle bolts.
Finally, a suspension wire was fastened to each of the parallel walls, and suspended across the floor. The acoustic ceiling clouds were fastened to this with their Rotofast bolts, allowing safe installation but maintaining the ceiling-suspended look that the restaurant desired.
When considering acoustic treatment for restaurants, always consider the difficulties that may arise during acoustic ceiling cloud or panel installation. While the reverberation time may be calculated by an acoustic consultant with ease, the placement of the panels often requires additional industry expertise.
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