Acoustifence Provides Noise Reduction for Outdoor Restaurant's Live Music Performances

The tropical, waterfront setting of Guanabanas restaurant on Florida's southeast coast invites guests to pull up and dock their boat or arrive by more traditional means, and settle in for a meal, a drink, and most nights, live music. But the acoustics were causing a problem in paradise, as sound from the live music, amplified by the stage's proximity to the water, was rising to decibel levels above Palm Beach County ordinance limits.

Guanabana's Sound Engineer Matt Cahur worked with Paul Getts, an acoustical consultant at Acoustiblok, Inc. in Tampa, to determine the best approach for reducing noise from the outdoor stage during live performances without detracting from the restaurant's lush, tropical setting complete with tiki huts and a large customized chickee hut bar, giving the property a definitive Caribbean flavor.

Guanabana's utilizes a wide variety of Florida's lush tropical vegetation and woods for all of its décor. The stage, tables, chairs, fencing and all wooden structures are made of Florida pine and bamboo. The property itself is generously landscaped with palms, ferns, bromeliads, gladiolus and a variety of additional native flora.

The challenge was to find an effective sound barrier that would meet, or even surpass local noise ordinance limits without interfering with the meticulously designed property.

"We've tried a lot of different sound abatement solutions to stop the noise bleed from our property during the live performances, but nothing worked," Cahur said.

"We have been searching for the right product that will not only address the sound issue, which is exacerbated because of the sound reflecting off the water, but one that we can conceal within the décor.

"Acoustifence met every single requirement, from a technical, structural, sound, and design perspective."

Cahur said the Acoustifence material was easily hung on top of the property's existing fence, and then concealed with the restaurant's trademark tropical landscaping, resulting in a sound barrier that is completely undetectable to restaurant guests.

Acoustifence was also hung on the stage door and walls, and concealed with natural wood planks and other thematic décor.

Since the Acoustifence was installed, Cahur says the live music is in full gear, and the neighbors are no longer left to deal with the loud music emanating from the stage.

"We haven't gotten a call since we put the Acoustifence in," Cahur said.

Lahnie Johnson, founder and president of Acoustiblok, Inc., said the application of Acoustifence at Guanabana's was the perfect combination of sound abatement material and architectural landscaping that can make an outdoor entertainment venue possible almost anywhere.

"We designed Acoustifence to install easily, so that it can be used as a temporary or permanent noise barrier," Johnson said.

"The ultimate use of Acoustifence is to conceal it under vegetation or in a garden setting, which gives the illusion that the vegetation is providing the privacy and noise reduction, which is exactly what Guanabana's has done with excellent results.

"Since vegetation alone does nothing to reduce sound, concealing Acoustifence under the vegetation to act as a noise barrier is the perfect solution, any way you look at it."

ABOUT ACOUSTIFENCE:

Originally developed as a noise barrier on loud offshore oil rigs, Acoustifence is a simple and economical noise abatement solution for both residential and commercial usage.

A 1/8-inch (3mm) thick unique sound deadening material measuring 6-feet (1.82 meters) high by 30-feet (9.14 meters) long with black anodized brass eyelets along the top and bottom edge for easy attachment. Heavy-duty nylon ties are included with each roll. Easily installed or removed in less than one hour, impervious to mold, mildew, and UV, Acoustifence is virtually indestructible. The soundproofing material in Acoustifence is a proprietary formula of the Acoustiblok Corporation, developed and refined over a 10-year period.

Acoustiblok, Inc. now has available high quality landscape attachments which fit directly over the Acoustifence to provide a realistic landscape appearance. A variety of landscape attachments are available to choose from, including floral gardens, green meadows, English garden walls, and other scenic illustrations to blend into any natural backdrop or enhance an unfinished yard or property.

Acoustiblok is recognized and sold worldwide, earning product awards from the British House of Commons, as well as being one of NASA's Top 49 Spinoff companies.

Acoustifence has proven performance in highway environments, construction sites, and waste-to-energy plants, and can accommodate any height fence or structure by simply overlapping the sections. To store, Acoustifence sections simply roll up like carpet into less than a 12-inch diameter. Independent lab tests of the Acoustifence material show a sound transmission classification (STC) of 28, which represents to the human ear an approximately 85-percent reduction in sound. However, results will be less, relative to surrounding sound reflective objects such as buildings or trees and the amount of Acoustifence installed.

For more information on Acoustifence visit the website at www.acoustiblok.com, call 813-980-1400, or E-mail sales@acoustiblok.com.