Acoustical Value of Ceiling Systems

No matter what type of commercial building is being built, there is often a value in the use of wood tile ceilings to reduce noise in a variety of situations. The installation of a wood ceiling system is done through the creation of a sub-ceiling (a second, suspended ceiling slightly below the first, which acts as the main ceiling). Tile ceiling systems are often used in office buildings and other commercial uses for cosmetic reasons and because of their low cost. However, many are usually, unless insulated, very poor sound absorbers. Having a wood (or synthetic, wood-type) ceiling system ensures that you will have maximum sound insulation on virtually any configuration which requires the insulation of sound, whether interior or exterior.

Office Buildings

Most office buildings have and require a meeting room that is largely sound proof for a variety of meetings, the most common being privacy in multi-tenant office situations. While many rooms designed for this purpose sound proof the walls, it’s altogether too common to hear a meeting from the next room because the ceiling was poorly insulated. This can be solved with the use of insulated wood ceiling systems, which have the highest rate of sound absorption, ensuring that your private meetings stay private.

Libraries

Whether municipal libraries, school libraries, or document archives, the use of soundproofing largely exists because with the easy entrance of noise, those needing to concentrate on their texts largely can’t. In this case extra sound is largely coming from two sources– doorways and ceilings (book and document collections, particularly large ones, also collect sound. Ensuring the ceiling is using a wood ceiling system is often a very simple and cost effective solution that your client will thank you for.

Music Halls and Theaters

Music halls, theaters, and large buildings meant as entertainment venues are often places where the acoustics are incredibly important. Sound travel makes all the difference here as certain areas require sound projection: others require sound proofing.  Wood tile ceilings have the dual advantage of maximum sound proofing capabilities and a classic appearance when unpainted (or, in reverse, wood is a material that is easily painted over to taste!) In multiplexes, this is even more important, as loud sounds can travel when visitors leave a specific film: ensuring that there is a quality paneling system at the top reduces the potential for “sound bleeding” (sound traveling from room to room) and quality sound containment.

Music and Television Studios/Stations

Music studios have long known about the value of wood panelling, both on the walls and on the ceiling, because these businesses specialize in sound production and require outside noise to be absolutely minimized. Using a wood ceiling insures that the sound you need “in the box” stays there, and doesn’t go outside, giving people working in audio less stress and annoyance with “noisy neighbors”. Television studios and stations, as well as radio stations, can make use of wood-like paneling systems to ensure silence when taking care of programming. With good sound proofing on the walls and a wood panel ceiling system, efficiency can be increased so that more programming duties can be taken care of at once.