Acoustics control in Children´s Museum

 

The Children´s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings, USA uses various acoustic panels made from BASF´s melamine resin foam Basotect® for sound absorption and noise control in several rooms and exhibits throughout the museum. The architectural and design team for the interactive museum decided on soundabsorptive Basotect panels from the acoustic products manufacturer, pinta acoustic inc., Minneapolis, USA.

The low weight of Basotect allows for various means of simple installation, reducing cost and allowing greater design freedom.

The excellent sound absorption of Basotect is due to its open-cell structure, which absorbs sound waves that would otherwise reflect off the hard surfaces in the room. Unmitigated, these sound waves create an undesired echo effect and increase the level of unwanted background noise.

The BASF foam's versatility allowed the museum to design acoustic baffles of various shapes that had texture and form such as, for example, a cloud. "The pinta acoustic products look great and effectively control noise in a very active space," says Andrew Eitreim of Architecture Incorporated, the architect firm of the project.

"The primary consideration when you´re designing a project such as this is to find a product that adds visual impact and blends seamlessly into the aesthetics without broadcasting its purpose - acoustical control, in this case." The low weight of Basotect allows for various means of simple installation, reducing cost and allowing greater design freedom. In one exhibit, panels are attached directly to the wall. Another exhibit uses linear absorbers that have been attached via a metal track mounted to the ceiling for a three-dimensional effect.