Dining Amongst Open Nautical Environments

Controlling the restaurant acoustics

The design of the restaurant features a large quantity of hard surfaces such as cement, which by their very nature tend to reverberate sound. An acoustic solution was needed to control the restaurant’s noise levels and to minimise the risk of the bothersome vocal phenomenon known as the Lombard Effect.

“There was no need for any prior consultation. We had an obvious need for a ceiling with acoustic absorption”, said Zooco Estudio architect Sixto Martín Martínez. A glass façade bathes the restaurant with natural lighting and provides calming views of the exterior – but its large surface area drastically increases the risk of poor noise control.

To address the restaurant acoustics, Zooco Estudio opted for 300 square metres of Rockfon Mono Acoustic in white, a seamless ceiling solution with Class A sound absorption and a smooth appearance that integrates seamlessly while reflecting daylight.

“From the beginning of the project, it was clear to us that we not only needed a high-performance acoustic ceiling, but one that has the most neutral appearance possible. The project seeks to replicate an outdoor environment in an indoor space, so the marked ceiling layout had to disappear”, added Martínez. The product fulfils these requirements: the total absence of joints, the option of a plain colour, and high acoustic absorption”.