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Acoustic solution for shopping centers

Acoustic solution for shopping centers

Market, the place which everyone needs it and where we all visit every day Imagine the numbers of people crowded there, this boy shouts to take his order, another woman calls her neighbour by phone to share opinion, group of girls talk some nonsense and for sure do not forget, sellers hoot to attract customers.

However, many smaller arcades have been demolished, replaced with large centers or “malls”.

A shopping mall is a modern term, in which one or more buildings form a complex of shops representing merchandisers with interconnecting walkways that enable customers to walk from unit to unit, by the fact that connecting walkways are not owned by a single proprietor.

The size of shopping centers and malls continued to increase with approximately 220,000 m2, some of them have 8,600 parking spaces  and others have 350,000 m2. Currently, the largest mall in the world is in China with a gross floor area of 892,000 m2.

Shopping centers are frequented by numerous people not only for shopping activities but also for social and leisure purposes. The considerable size of some of the malls, with large circulation spaces, high ceilings and generally a large food court where large numbers of people gather, leads to elevated background noise and reverberation time values, which result in poor speech intelligibility in a noisy space so what is Acoustic solution for shopping centers.

Results of a study in shopping malls with a total area from 12,000 to 72,000 m2 show average RT (reverberation time) values between 1.7 and 3.2 s, and LAeq (sound loudness level) between 67 and 70 dB.

Noise occupational density in all shopping centers, indicating a fairly common acoustic environment for all malls. The level of occupancy noise showed a rather excessive value for acoustic comfort and well-being in shopping centers. Not Sound and noise in shopping malls only by the feeling of discomfort but also for “incompatibility” relatively to speech intelligibility.

When noise is high makes an acoustically unfavorable space, especially if it intensifies in frequency with the highest hearing sensitivity, between 1 and 4 kHz.

Of all the characteristics, the main negatives points for acoustics are number of floors, height and volume; gallery configuration linking the different spaces of the malls assisting in the spread of noise; reduced area of food courts concentrating people and centralizing activities and access; surface coatings with reflective materials (such as ceramic, marble or ceramic tiles) and glass surfaces; little or no application of absorbents materials and systems; noisy machines and equipments, little or nothing acoustically treated; carts without silent bearings and chairs and tables with worn rubber or without them producing noise when dragged. In contrast, the positive characteristics observed in some of the cases studied are: height and volume reduced; spatial configuration like long corridors, with little interaction between the spaces; large food courts so as not to agglomerate people, and consequently the noise. Other favorable characteristics detected that, in the absence, can also be taken as intervention proposals, include: acoustic treatment of the particular noise of machines and equipments through quieter cooling systems/ventilation/others; presence of rubber in the legs of tables and chairs; silent bearings in the carts; and especially lesser application of reflective materials over sound absorptive, for example, perforated panels and/or baffles in the ceiling, porous and fibrous materials in the decorative objects (tissues, cushioned) and on the walls (wood fiberboard agglomerate, etc.), as well as more areas with sofas and carpets. Note that these and many other examples can be considered for proper acoustic corrections.

In general, a minimal careful acoustical design can decrease the average RT up to 1.5 s, increase the average RASTI up to 0.10 and decrease the occupation background noise in 3 dB(A).

Therefore, succinctly: for Acoustic solution for shopping centers to reduce the reverberation of space through the type and shape of the surfaces and volume; increase sound absorption and reduce the effects of noise sources, in order to reduce ambient noise. Sound absorption of the environment is the basis of the best results of the acoustics of shopping centers. All these factors contribute for better speech intelligibility, better quality and comfort of space, consenting users to spend more time in shopping centers.

Moreover, you can see the acoustical solutions in shopping centers in Turkey, Bursa. Since, Bursa is crowded by the modern and acoustically designed shopping centers.

 One of the acoustically designed centers is Sur-Yapı center, this shopping center as photos show has used the MDF wooden panels on the walls in the walkways in the slat shape with a small space between pieces which help in increasing the NRC rating to 0.80-1.0.

there is also MDF wooden suspending ceiling in each floor in combination of two shapes in the plain shape which has NRC approximately 0.46 and the other shape is the slat shape with NRC 0.80, this combination has a role in the Aesthetic and the Acoustic section.

Also, it used the shape of dome in the middle of the shopping center  which helps in reducing the noise by using the resonant cavity method because of  its concave shape to reflect the sound by delay time and this will canceling the echoes in the space, in addition the floor is ceramic that has an acoustically and thermally properties.

And, there are acoustical wooden seats in the halls and walkways give the shopping center a unique view and plays a role in the acoustic solution in the shopping centers.

Most of the shops in this shopping center use the acoustic panels in their shops especially the cafe-book which has the acoustic panel in different shapes.

you can notice special acoustically designed in Suryapı Cinemaximum cinema. its hall cinema has the design of classic Rockwool acoustic panels, its panels is classic Rockwool acoustic panels and seats in the cinema has also acoustical properties helps in reducing the noise

You can read more in detail about the acoustic solutions in cinema in our blog of Acoustima® acoustic panel by Seatup Turkey®:

in Bursa; you can see a different, unique and acoustically design in each shopping center like Carrefour shopping mall; AS merkezi shopping mall ;kent maydanı shopping mall and Özdilek shopping mall.

We live in a noisy world. And shopping is one of our noisy everyday experiences.

There are people who prefer peace and quiet. There are those with hearing problems. Those with a sensitivity to loud noise. There are elders who get stressed out by loud music. There are kids and youngsters whose hearing is at odds when the sound is too loud. In fact, there are tons of people who are not comfortable with loud noise in stores.

Of all the construction requirements which carry a particular project, perhaps the most ignored is Acoustics because the aesthetics almost always tends to overlap. However, these are old approaches that can no long happen. In the long run an acoustically bad space will have fewer customers than others better designed.

All-day Quiet Shopping. Quiet Night. Relaxing Shopping. Hush Night. The name alternatives are many. The core idea is to show empathy and love to all those customers who wish to be able to shop without the blasting, unnerving music.

For Acoustic solution for shopping centers Please, create some room for shoppers who crave a soothing and relaxing shopping experience. You are bound to be financially rewarded for such an inclusive and warm-hearted activity.

Acoustima® acoustic panel by Seatup Turkey® can help you in different, modern, and acoustically designed Acoustic solution for shopping centers. Also, you can see our online catalogue: