Acoustic windows
Studios, control rooms and observation rooms need sightlines through walls built to stop sound. That is a glazing assembly, designed with the wall it sits in.
Also in openings
Performance comes from the same three things as a wall — mass, separation and sealing. In glazing that means panes of differing thickness, an air gap of useful depth, frames isolated from one another where the wall is a double structure, and reveals that are sealed and absorbent.
How they are built
| Panes | Two or more, deliberately different in thickness so they do not resonate together. |
|---|---|
| Cavity | Sized for the isolation required rather than for the frame that was available. |
| Frames | Isolated from each other where the wall is a double leaf; sealed to each structure separately. |
| Reveal | Lined with absorption inside the cavity, which is where a great deal of the performance comes from. |
| Glass type | Laminated where mass, safety or damping is wanted. |
| Sealing | Continuous, both sides, checked before the finishes go on. |
Sightlines first
We set the window from the seated eye position on both sides — angle, height and size — before the construction is designed around it. In a control room that means the engineer sees the performer without turning; in an observation room it means the whole test area is visible. Where reflections in the glass would be a nuisance, panes can be raked so they reflect towards an absorbent surface rather than back at the listener.
Where they are used
- Between a control room and a live room in a studio.
- Between a viewing gallery and a test chamber or laboratory.
- Between a plant room and an office or reception.
- In facades, where traffic or railway noise is the problem.
- In interview, consultation and security rooms where speech privacy matters.
Glazing performs as an assembly. A pane specified on its own tells you very little about the finished opening.
What we need to quote
- Opening size and the wall construction it sits in.
- What is on each side, and the separation required.
- Whether the wall is a single or double structure.
- Eye positions and sightlines the window has to serve.
- Any fire, safety or security requirement on the glazing.
Tell us the room
Send dimensions and intended use. You get back an indicative acoustic treatment, a systems outline and a budget range.