If you're an architect, interior designer, or even just a person who's interested in architecture and design, you've probably heard the term "reverberation time."
But what is it? And why should you care?
Reverberation time is a term used to describe the amount of time that it takes for sound waves to decay in a space. It's measured in seconds—the longer it takes for the sound to die out, the larger your space needs to be to accommodate for those longer reverberation times.
The reason why this matters so much is because reverberation time affects how people perceive their surroundings—and not only that, but how they feel about those surroundings as well. In other words, it has implications for both aesthetics AND comfort!
For example, if a room has short reverberation times (say under 1 second), then that room will feel smaller than it actually is because sound waves will die out quickly and won't reflect back into the space. This can create an echo-y feeling that can make it uncomfortable for people who are sensitive to these kinds of things (including people with autism). On the other hand, if a room has long reverberation times (over 1 second) then its size will seem larger
Different spaces have different critical reverberation tolerances. When working with a client that is needing to deal with acoustical issues, there is no one size fits all. Depending on who is utilizing the space, activity that occurs in that space there will be different allowances of reflected sound.
We understand sound and work with the best in the business to provide acoustic solutions for any type of indoor space from ceiling solutions, tiles, panels, screens and even lighting and rugs! Let us help you create a better soundscape in your next project. Give us a call next time you cant hear yourself think. You will be glad you did!