We must choose a place in which the voice can diminish softly and does not return by reflection so as to bring an indistinct meaning to the ear.

Vitruvius (2nd century B.C.)

Everything is sound and therefore sound is everywhere?

Human beings perceive the world through their senses, a perfect and complex system which is the direct expression of body and soul. The auditory apparatus is certainly the most sophisticated of all the senses. It is the means by which we hear; it is a passive organ of reception – ears receive and hear sounds. In this sense they represent the utmost vulnerability: they cannot be closed as eyes can. It is not enough for words to reach the ears, they must also be intelligible and in order for this to occur we need to receive sounds correctly. In fact, if the sound intensity in an enclosed environment is particularly high, its perception might not be correct.

Architectural acoustics studies what can be defined as the acoustical dimension of man-made environments and aims to improve the quality of sound perception. Today it is indeed necessary to design and build environments destined for civil use – as well as for leisure – considering architectural acoustics as the fundamental and indispensable component of all contemporary and responsible projects.
The concept of people’s well-being can differ according to culture, religion and geographical location, but body and soul aspire universally to beauty and good, and complete harmony.

Today La Mercanti offers the most suitable materials for sound-absorption and climatic comfort also compatible with different social and environmental settings. They are innovative, durable and perfectly in tune with the contemporary design, contributing to people’s well-being by improving in quality. They work with discreet elegance, controlling reverberation with a multiplicity of solutions. This is in order to restore a correct and healthy acoustical dimension to satisfy the increasing attention of designers for environmental psychology as a means of knowledge and investigation to improve real quality in environments and therefore increase the pleasure of life and work for people.
People’s well-being is an important goal, as we are important as human beings.

The quality of modern restaurant services is measured through a number of different sensations: from the warmth of the welcome and the tastefulness of the décor, through to acoustic and thermal well-being. La Mercanti sound-deadening panel systems provide a single solution for meeting all these requirements, with maximum design versatility, ease of installation and durability. That’s why they are being used more and more in prestigious and elegant environments, which choose La Mercanti products and services.

Environmental health and quality are today indispensable elements that characterise good architectural design in both the public and private sectors. We are all aware of the risks deriving from overexposure to noise in the working environment.

ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS
The parameters defining the acoustic quality of a confined space are all interrelated and their values determine the degree of acoustic quality of a theatre or concert hall, as well as MEETING ROOMS, OFFICES, SCHOOLS, RESTAURANTS, shops, test rooms, theatre and so on.
The reverberation time is one of the most well-known parameters in the acoustics field and it expresses the environmental “resonance”.
Another descriptor of some importance for conference rooms, places of worship, schools and offices, is represented by the Speech Transmission Index, which describes the intelligibility of the spoken word.

SOUND ABSORPTION AND SOUND INSULATION
These are two completely different concept. A wall in brick is heavy and highly sound insulation, but it is not sound absorbing. The heavier the wall, the more it insulates against external noise. Similarly, we can say that a fibreglass panel is light and highly sound absorbent, but it’s not sound insulating.

SOUND ABSORBING PANELS
A sound absorbing mechanism is obtained using perforated wooden, plaster or metal panels. The panel behaves as a large sound “trap” which can offer high sound absorption values.
Our panel is a sound absorbing panel manufactured in milled MDF with internal resonators that make use of the acoustic properties of the previously mentioned sound absorbing systems, thus combining optimum acoustic performance with agreeable aesthetics.

This panel uses three sound absorbing systems: perforated sound absorbing panels, sound absorbing resonators and vibrating panels or membranes.
The soundproofing lining systems lends itself to installation with any type of wall and false ceiling improving the acoustics inside closed rooms, where it eliminates echoes and absorbs excess noise.