"Mt. Sierra College Theater" - August 2005 - page 2
In the ceiling, there is actually a lot of space between where the top of the theater ends and the bottom of the floor above begins. This air gap serves as a space for vibrations to enter and bounce back and forth, so fewer vibrations are transmitted to floor above. To further optimize the amount of ceiling space available between the ceiling and the floor above, Elite used parts from Kinetics Noise Control’s “room-within-a-room” isolation package. This ceiling isolation kit features ceiling hangers that attach to the ceiling joists. A series of iron channels pass through the ends of these suspended clips. Two layers of drywall can then be attached to the floated bars, rather than be attached directly to the ceiling jousts. The clamps have thick rubber bushings to keep the vibrations that hit the drywall from passing through up to the ceiling joists. For this project, 90 Isomax clamps had to be installed due to the square footage of the room. In the end, the level of sound transfer in and out of the room was cut dramatically.
The walls posed a problem, as they were common with several classrooms and offices on the sides, so Elite needed to come up a way to create an air space between the walls to help keep sound from passing through. A series of metal rails made by Kinetics Noise Control were laid across the existing drywall and then Kinetics Noise Control Acoustic Sound Panels were attached to the wall, creating a gap between them. The sound panels are covered in a gray material, which gives them a clean, neutral look.
One of the biggest challenges was the doorway. Because the space doubles as a classroom and a screening room, there is a lot of traffic in and out of the theater on any given school day. When the room was first completed, the amount of ambient noise from outside was pretty dramatic. The idea of using a double door system was initially discussed, but the logistics of this, combined with the idea of having to open and close two doors each time someone came in and out of the theater made it easier for Elite to decide on keeping the single door system.
Several steps were taken to soundproof the door. A thick rubber gasket was placed around the doorframe. This immediately made a big difference in the amount of sound passing into the room from the hallways. To further block sound transfer, a custom threshold with a special tongue and groove system locks the door into place when it is closed. It takes a little extra push for the door to snap into place fully, but when it’s seated, the difference is dramatic. The final step was actually thickening the door with a very dense material, then covering it with a layer of more absorptive material, similar to the walls.
Elite minimized the vibrations on the floor by mounting the Velodyne DD-12 subwoofer so it is not in direct contact with the floor. They also customized the crossover level for the subwoofer. This reduces the direct vibrations that could move through the floor and out to the hallways and nearby rooms.
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The walls posed a problem, as they were common with several classrooms and offices on the sides, so Elite needed to come up a way to create an air space between the walls to help keep sound from passing through. A series of metal rails made by Kinetics Noise Control were laid across the existing drywall and then Kinetics Noise Control Acoustic Sound Panels were attached to the wall, creating a gap between them. The sound panels are covered in a gray material, which gives them a clean, neutral look. 