The Lodge Restaurant in Colonial Williamsburg installs Acoustic Panels to Improve the Dining Experience
Richmond, VA (PRWEB) February 08, 2012
Today, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational institution that receives no regular state or federal funding and sponsors the countless attractions at this historical site. More than 100 million visitors have enjoyed the Colonial Williamsburg experience since 1932, including U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.
One of Colonial Williamsburg’s most notable attractions and a favorite of visitors is the Lodge. Accommodations include fine dining in their Lodge Restaurant, where patrons and dining staff noticed something not so fine. The kitchen area opens into the dining room, which is an enjoyable experience for guests and chefs, or it would have been, except that any noise made in the kitchen seemed to be amplified out into the dining area.
The Williamsburg Lodge contacted Gary Hudson at Acoustical Solutions, Inc., who found the source of the problem: “Kitchens have a lot of reflective surfaces, so all the noise being made in that area is reflected around, amplified, and shot out into the only unblocked space – the dining room".
Hudson recommended the ceiling tiles be replaced with acoustical ceiling tiles, and that acoustical wall panels be installed. AlphaEnviro PVC Wall Panels were installed strategically along the perimeter of the kitchen, and 2” thick AlphaEnviro PVC Ceiling Tiles were used to replace the existing ceiling. The client chose the color white for both the panels and ceiling tiles, so they would blend in with the existing walls and ceiling. AlphaEnviro Acoustical Wall Panels and Ceiling Tiles have an NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient Rating) of up to 1.15, meaning that the PVC encapsulated Ecose fiberglass filling absorbs virtually all noise that reaches them, keeping sounds from reflecting back toward the source.
The filling is also ‘green’, containing a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled bottle glass, and is 100% recyclable. Another consideration is that the products are easy to clean. The PVC casing only requires a cloth and water for regularly cleaning, an important consideration in a kitchen.
After the acoustical products were installed, echo and reverberation decreased in the kitchen allowing for increased speech intelligibility and a more pleasant work environment for those preparing meals. More importantly, however, patrons seated in the dining room no longer heard every clatter and bang made in the kitchen.
"The Kitchen turned out really well," said Lee Anderson of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, "we received many compliments from the first day it was up."
About Acoustical Solutions, Inc.:
Since 1989 Acoustical Solutions, Inc. has provided the detailed expertise needed to serve the noise control community.
Acoustical Solutions, Inc. works with a wide variety of customers from commercial and residential development to worship facilities, recording studios and home theater designers. Acoustical Solutions, Inc. offers the industry's most comprehensive selection of noise control and soundproofing products, including a full line of indoor and outdoor industrial, commercial, environmental and architectural noise control products.
About Acoustical Solutions, Inc.:
Since 1989 Acoustical Solutions, Inc. has provided the detailed expertise needed to serve the noise control community. Acoustical Solutions, Inc. works with a wide variety of customers from commercial and residential development to worship facilities, recording studios and home theater designers. Acoustical Solutions, Inc. offers the industry's most comprehensive selection of noise control and soundproofing products, including a full line of indoor and outdoor industrial, commercial, environmental and architectural noise control products. For more information please visit http://www.AcousticalSolutions.com, call 1-800-782-5742, or see our media kit.
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Aimee Sanford
Acoustical Solutions, Inc.
8043468350
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