Taking acoustics to new heights
Architects Studio Moren mixes heritage with pop culture for new hotel.
The Malmaison boutique hotel in York is a unique venue in a historic city. Situated right in the centre within the Roman walls and near the river, it’s perfectly placed for visitors coming to admire this famous northern tourist destination founded in 71 AD and which boasts more attractions per square mile than any other city in the UK.
Originally built in the 1960s in a brutalist architectural design for insurance giant Aviva, the building has been re-configured to create a bespoke venue befitting its location and surrounding heritage. The redesign includes restoring eight floors of concrete floorplates, walls and waffle ceilings to create 150 guestrooms, the brand’s signature Work + Play meeting and event spaces, spa and gym. Two new bars and restaurants are incorporated into the scheme including the Sora Sky Bar with a large terrace offering unparalleled views across York and the 13th Century York Minster.
The interior design combines the building’s legacy along with the brand’s reputation for playful and sassy schemes. Bright and bold murals, artworks and geometric patterns sit alongside the existing concrete structure combining architectural styles in perfect harmony.
With so many hard surfaces exposed, Studio Moren needed to find a solution to control acoustics within the restaurants and decided to use Troldtekt’s wood wool acoustic panels across the ceilings. They have been used in an innovative two-tone design for the Sora Sky Bar and as black floating clouds within the ground floor Bar & Grill.
Acoustic problems in restaurants are a common issue and one which can seriously impact on diner enjoyment and experience - a perfect illustration of the Lombard Effect in action. First reported in 1909 by Etienne Lombard, this common phenomenon is an involuntary tendency to increase the volume of speaking when talking in the noisy environments. This then creates a perpetual loop in which diners at neighbouring tables also increase their volume until communication barriers are created and people are almost shouting to be heard. Most diners visit restaurants for social experiences and high noise levels make it difficult for people to engage in conversation, leading to frustration and a diminished dining experience – even going so far as to have a negative impact on the sense of taste.
Malmaison York is an excellent example of how acoustic panels can be incorporated into a project allowing architects to create schemes with large open plan areas and hard surfaces but mitigating the problems stemming from long reverberation time and reflected sound.
Troldtekt wood wool panels excel at providing acoustic comfort with a visually attractive and sound-absorbing tactile surface coupled with high durability, resistance to impact and humidity and a long-life cycle of over 50 years.
