Acoustics in Sports Halls

Sports Facilities such as sports halls and gymnasiums are large open spaces built to withstand years of use for a variety of sports. They are built with hard wall, floor and ceiling surfaces making them particularly poor acoustically. These spaces are often used for a variety of activities making their acoustic performance important in order to facilitate clear communication and provide an enjoyable atmosphere whether the activity is a school assembly or one of the many sports which are carried out in these environments.

Download PDF Brochure

Building Bulletin 93

As there is an increased awareness of the importance of exercise to health, there has been a big increase in the number of people attending sports activities. This has lead to an explosion in sports building needs and has resulted in the construction of new sports facilities around the country by Councils and is encouraged by National Government policies. Health and Safety research and concerns by the Education authorities into new schools has resulted in the introduction of legislation to comply with the acoustic requirements. These are laid out in Building Bulletin BB93 and are part of the Building Regulations in the design of not just the sports halls but also classrooms, music rooms, dining halls etc.

Sports England and Scotland requires that the mid frequency reverberation time must not exceed 2 seconds in sports halls

Requirements for reverberation times are as follows:-
Indoor Sports Hall	1.5
Gymnasium	1.5
Swimming Pool	2.0
Dance Studio	1.2
Multi-purpose Halls (Drama, P.E., assembly, occasional music)	0.8 -1.2

Why are Sports Facilities Acoustically Poor?

Sports halls, gymnasiums and especially swimming pools have long reverberation times through the nature of their construction and surfaces necessary to their function. One of the prime requirements of the internal surfaces of sports facilities is that they are strong and durable. To this end, the internal wall surfaces typically comprise of painted high density block work, brickwork or timber cladding.

When sound hits these hard surfaces, it bounces back into the hall and this results in high noise levels and poor speech intelligibility. Long reverberation times also increase the reverberant noise levels within halls, which further decrease speech intelligibility. To compensate for this, people tend to increase their voice levels to in order to be heard, which further exacerbates the situation.

Poor acoustic conditions in these environments make it difficult to communicate. Fitness instructors, physical education teachers and other professionals find it difficult to cope with the high noise levels which can lead to voice problems due to prolonged use of the voice and the need to shout to keep control. It is important to have good acoustics in these areas not only for staff but also for users so they can enjoy their activities without distraction.

Solutions to Acoustic Problems in Sports Facilities

The WOODSORBA PRO range of timber acoustic panels has been developed to provide an impact resistant and aesthetic solution to noise control. These panels are visually attractive due to the beauty of wood veneers and they also offer the advantage of being installation friendly.

WALLSORBA acoustic wall panels can be used to line the walls at high level, normally from the door head upwards. WALLSORBA acoustic panels are robust to withstand impact from objects such as indoor footballs. They are supplied in a wide choice of colours and can help to achieve a reverberation time of less than 1.5 seconds which is required for sports halls in schools and is also suitable for other sports facilities.

ECHOSORBA II acoustic ceiling panels are extremely high performance noise absorbers. These panels are installed where they will not be hit and also out of reach of people’s hands. They are suitable for use in many areas including sports facilities as they provide the acoustic absorbency which is required as the reverberation time should not exceed two seconds at mid-frequency according to Sports England and Scotland.

If you would like to be kept updated on changes within the acoustic requirements for sports halls and schools and how to comply with them sign up to our email newsletter!

Sound absorbing wall panels - Acoustic doorsets - Sound absorbing ceiling panels - Timber Acoustic Panels - Acoustic screens - Sound absorbing foam - Impact resistant panels - Acoustic baffles