Seattle's Bell Street Pier is a beautiful but busy place. The 14-acre mixed-use development includes a 1,900-foot cruise ship terminal, an international conference center, a maritime museum, restaurants and retail space.
A public concourse links the ship terminal—Seattle's first port for cruise ships bound for Alaska and the Inland Passage— to shops and restaurants. Expansive clerestory windows overlook the harbor, while porcelain floors and concrete steps add to the open, modern feel.
It's hard to imagine finding a bit of quiet relaxation time in the midst of all this. But it's possible, thanks to the SONEXpyramid Panels installed on the concourse walls.
Acoustics were an early concern of designers working on the pier, who knew the hard parallel surfaces would create reverberation problems that would render the area far from peaceful. "We knew we needed to do something acoustically in the space," says David Hewitt, president of Hewitt Architects, designers of the Bell Street Pier. "But we didn't want a plain vanilla solution that simply controlled the acoustics. We wanted something that fit the shape and strong angles of the space. We were intrigued by SONEXpyramid because of its unique look. It plays well with the geometric design."
The deeply sculpted surface of SONEXpyramid Panels maximizes the effective area of acoustic control. Made from illbruck's proprietary willtec®foam, the charcoal-colored wall panels are Class 1 fire-rated for flame spread and smoke density.