Project Overview
This acoustic renovation project serves the main reading hall, multi-function activity room and public corridors of a large city public library in Hamburg, Germany, with a total area of 5,200 ㎡. The original masonry structure with high ceilings and hard tile floors caused severe reverberation and poor speech intelligibility. Reader conversation, children’s activity noise and public announcements overlapped heavily, disrupting quiet reading areas and reducing event experience. The library required acoustic tuning that balances quiet reading zones and multi-purpose activity spaces, while complying with German public building standards.
Solution Configuration
- Multi-function hall & activity zones: Grooved and perforated resonant acoustic panels are installed on rear and side walls, paired with mineral wool infill and rear air cavity structure. Through acoustic simulation, the slot and perforation ratios are precisely calibrated to target mid-low frequency standing waves, with an overall NRC of 0.90, balancing both speech clarity for events and reverberation control for daily use.
- Reading halls & corridor ceilings: High-density smooth fiberglass acoustic ceiling tiles (NRC 0.90–0.95) are fully laid, with flat untextured non-fibrous surfaces, controlling overhead reflections and reducing overall ambient noise across quiet reading zones.
All materials comply with DIN 18041 acoustic standards and meet EN 13501 Class B fire safety requirements. Construction was completed in sections during library opening hours, with a total construction period of 45 days.
Project Results
Post-completion acoustic testing shows reverberation time in reading zones drops to 0.6–0.8s, meeting the recommended standard for quiet reading spaces. Speech intelligibility in the multi-function hall improves by 44%, and public announcement clarity across corridors improves significantly. The acoustic system supports both quiet reading and community event scenarios, and has passed local public building acceptance.
