Reducing reverberation time and improving the meeting experience at the University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool Acoustic Treatment
Pure AV and TK-Team have established a longstanding partnership with the University of Liverpool, making them the obvious choices for this project. The execution of the project proceeded smoothly, thanks to the excellent work of both parties. As a result of their efforts, the rooms now have improved acoustics, providing a significantly quieter environment, and our staff have expressed their delight with the substantial difference in the quality of their video conference calls.

 

- Mark Wilson, Deputy AV/VC Manager, University of Liverpool

As a prestigious member of the Russell Group and recognised among the top 200 universities worldwide, the University of Liverpool is a leading educational and research institution focused on providing the next generation of business and research leaders with expertise, knowledge and skill.

The University values the necessity of providing academic members, research fellows, students and all other stakeholders with access to the highest quality resources and technology to facilitate strategic objectives and goals, while enhancing overall workplace wellbeing.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the University invested heavily in transforming as many spaces as possible into video-enabled environments. Not only to maintain a high standard of teaching and learning during the pandemic, but to provide a new standard  to facilitate new ways to meet, teach, and learn.

After the deployment of the new video-enabled spaces, the University quickly identified a substantial problem affecting the overall video collaboration experience in these spaces due to numerous hard surfaces and elevated ceilings. Both in-room and remote participants were avoiding the spaces due to the poor user experience in the spaces.

The University approached Pure AV to conduct an in-depth investigation into the root cause of the issue and what changes could be implemented to bring room utlisation levels back to expected standards.

To guarantee the the best possible service for the University, a dedicated technical account manager from our team visited the campus to gain a complete understanding of the issues faced, discuss potential solutions, and look at budgets and timelines to suit the universities expectations.

Once we fully understood the project requirements and issues, our team immediately knew that the issues related to Reverbration Time (RT) within the space and it would be highly beneficial to work alongside specialist acoustic solution provider, TK-Team, on this project due to their proficiency and impact within the higher education market, along with their previous relationship with the University.

TK-Team were more than happy to take on the challenge and attended site to carry out a comprehensive acoustic survey to read noise levels, reverberation times, frequency response, and discuss their offering directly with the client. 

Post-survey, a detailed proposal was presented to the University for review. Highly impressed by the approach, the University promptly decided that they were happy with the proposed plan, and agreed to proceed with the project.
 

Acoustic Treatment Results at the University of Liverpool

Optimised Room Performance With Lightweight Acoustic Panels

Historically, the meeting rooms at the University were plagued with issues related to Reverberation Time. This was a daily encounter due to the lack of proficient acoustic panels. As a consequence, video calls and in-room meetings became exceedingly challenging for those present in the rooms as well as remote participants.

Our specialist installation team installed an array of lightweight, Class A acoustic panels throughout the spaces, which ultimately reduced Reverberation Time in the meeting spaces to suitable levels and required standards.

The Hush acoustic panels by TK-Team were selected as the most effective type of panel to use due to their highly absorbent properties.

Constructed with Camira Cara, a fabric renowned for its superior sound absorption qualities, the panels have been thoughtfully positioned on all walls within each area. This material guarantees excellent acoustic performance during meetings, regardless of the number of participants.

Each panel has been customised in colour, to closely reflect the University's crest colours, giving each space a personalised look and feel throughout.

Regardless of the size of the groups, the implementation of the new acoustic panels has crucially enhanced each space for both University staff and external partners.

Consequently, the University has reported a substantial increase in usage of the facilities by staff members, both on-site and remote due to the significant improvements made by Pure AV and TK-Team. Concentration and communication levels are up, and stress levels are down.
 

Bringing the Best Minds Together From the Audio Visual Industry to Benefit the Customer

The success of this project ultimately comes down to the experience of Pure AV and TK-Team working alongside one another.

The thorough testing conducted by TK-Team, followed by the skill of Pure AV's installation engineers has enabled the University to experience a noticable difference in Reverberation Time and noise levels in each meeting space.

Should the University wish to order more panels for other spaces in the future, the process will be streamlined as all colours, sizes, and panel classes have now been agreed.

Overall, the acoustic panelling has proven to be an invaluable solution for improving collaboration, employee wellness and effective decision-making within the University and can be used as a great example to use as a standard going forward.
 

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