As is the case with most modern schools, the main hall at this educational facility in Manchester serves multiple purposes – from cafeteria to sports hall.

While these multifunctional spaces are ideal for a variety of tasks, the hard surfaces and sheer volume of people within them can result in poor acoustics and ultimately noise distraction.

Working in partnership with the experts at Husht Acoustics, we applied 32 circular acoustic wall panels and a further 15 rectangular acoustic wall panels (1m x 2.4m) directly to either side of the hall to help improve acoustic comfort.

A dramatic change in regards to overall volume and acoustic comfort within the space was instantly noticeable thanks to a massive reduction in echo – this is due to excess sound reverberation within the space being soaked up by the super-absorbent panels.

In addition to helping students concentrate when using the space thanks to less noise distraction, the staff reported a notable decrease in students having to “shout to be heard” – which can only be a good thing!