Whether it is a pleasure meal in a friendly or family context, or whether it is to take a break and regain strength e.g. in a working context, a moment spent in a restaurant does not deliver all its promises if the acoustic environment is not up to par.
Indeed, if such a place has not been the subject of sufficient precautions with regard to the problems of soundproofing, a sound overbid occurs there often, which is due to the fact that each raises the voice to try to be heard, what contributes to the increase of hubbub - this phenomenon being sometimes called "cocktail effect" -.
The best table from a culinary point of view, which in some cases could be worth a detour or even deserve a trip in relation to the contents of the plates and the quality of the service - which can be a pleasure for the eyes, the nose and the mouth - can then be turn into a place which must be avoided, in view of the discomfort furthermore experienced by the ears.
And what about company restaurants, which are not always distinguished by the quality of the menus, but in which one of the main objectives is to take a break (in which the social dimension of discussions between co-workers must have all its place) if one can not ear each other among neighbors of tables ?
Obviously, the acoustic comfort of gourmet restaurants or simple cafeterias (company restaurants) is still too often neglected, even though it contributes to the general appreciation of the guests about the moment they have spent and thus about the quality of the place.
ITS will participate in the soundproofing of a company restaurant near Lyon, France, in the Rhône-Alpes region.
As often in the context of such projects of sound insulation in buildings, absorbent materials have been carefully selected for their acoustic performance i.e. their ability to absorb sounds as well as for their decorative contribution in harmony with what exists.
The components of the soundproofing system will be installed at the level of the walls and ceiling of a dining room located on the ground floor, as well as under the roof of a dining room located on the first floor, so as to control their reverberation which constitutes a fundamental parameter of the acoustic quality of such spaces.
If it is not certain that the frequentation of this cafeteria (company restaurant) will be due to a quest for culinary excellence, at least it will offer to employees a quiet place to eat and maybe even if they look at the cloud-like absorbent linings above their heads, to escape for a few moments, of what one must admit the preciousness in our modern world.