Fins Restaurant in Venice, FL was dealing with excessive noise complaints from their patrons. This high-end restaurant in Sarasota has an amazing view overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and is surrounded by boutiques and other fine dining establishments. However, the noise issues were still significant, even after the restaurant had acoustic panels installed last year. The restaurant manager called Commercial Acoustics to find a solution.
Restaurant Acoustic Solution using Fabric Walls
After an initial site visit, our engineers determined that they needed 450 square feet of 2” fiberglass (with an NRC of 1.05) to hit their desired reverberation time. This is calculated with the Sabins formula, as we’ve discussed before here. The existing 1” panels, with an NRC of 0.7 and poor low-frequency absorption, were insufficient to dampen the noise of the lively restaurant environment, especially on busy nights.
Installation of Restaurant Fabric Wall Acoustics
The aesthetics were maintained by placing the fabric wall high up on the perimeter walls, starting at 10’ and extending to the ceiling.
The existing lighting structure needed to be offset from the wall, and therefore, the fabric wall track system used custom cuts along the surface (seen below).
By moving to high-NRC panels and calculating the required Sabins ahead of time, Fins received the proper acoustic treatment while maintaining, and supplementing, their existing restaurant décor.
NOTE: Fabric wall acoustical systems are ideal when significant wall space is needed to meet the reverberation time requirements of the restaurant. They are also recommended if there are floor-to-ceiling or wall-to-wall applications, since they are installed in the field rather than pre-fabricated offsite. This allows extra flexibility in the acoustical design and installation process.
