Richard Bland College

The Issue

Old acoustical treatment needed to be replaced during an auditorium renovation at Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Virginia. The facility manager wanted to clean up the look of the room. The manager also wanted to improve the acoustics, which were not optimal with the previously installed acoustic panels.

The Challenge

After analyzing the Richard Bland College Auditorium, Acoustical Solutions discovered that the reverberation in the room was too high. There was also a distinct flutter echo caused by the parallel sidewalls constructed with painted concrete blocks.

The room is used as a classroom, small theater, and musical venue. It was important for the space to be acoustically suited for multiple uses.

The Solution

Acoustical Solutions recommended and installed one-inch-thick AlphaSorb^® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels lining the rear wall above the chair rail, and additional acoustic panels spaced out on the upper sidewalls.

The placement served two purposes. First, the AlphaSorb^® Acoustic Panels improved the acoustics by breaking up large areas of the reflective surface. Second, the panels were out of the way, protected from abuse from chairs, cleaning equipment, and handrails or foot traffic.

The Result

After the AlphaSorb^® Acoustic Panels were installed, the auditorium was visually and aurally enhanced by sound treatment that fit within the school’s budget. Speech intelligibility was greatly increased for meetings and assemblies, but the room was kept “live” enough for theater or musical events.