When the Unity Spiritual Center of Woodstock wanted to use their sanctuary for more varied community events, it became apparent that they needed to address the acoustics of the space to meet the demands of those functions.

Acoustician Cameron Girard ran reverb calculations and provided a comprehensive treatment proposal utilizing Sonora wall panels. Sonora panels are a great solution for worship and performance spaces, offering excellent broadband sound absorption in an attractive, customizable finish. In addition to controlling the specular wall-to-wall reflections (echoes) which degrade speech and music, the recommended treatment aimed to reduce excessive reverberation by approx. 50%, significantly improving intelligibility. Cameron’s clear panel layout facilitated a simple installation that was performed by handy volunteers from USGW’s congregation.

Sonora Panels tamed reflections from the back wall and lowered the overall intensity. This increased clarity while keeping the ambiance that the congregants enjoyed.  Acoustic changes that tame a space don’t need to destroy its acoustic character… they can be focused to manage some of the elements that produce unwanted artifacts.

Sonora Panels help to tame the harsh reflections coming from the back wall, corner, and angled fascia.

The front of the room received some more Sonora Panels, but reinforcing surfaces from the ceiling were left reflective to allow any unamplified voices from the stage to carry into the audience.

Notice how the Sonora panels are used to control the reflections on the back and sides of the stage, but the ceiling is left mostly reflective.

Now a full year removed from this project, How did it turn out?

”The sanctuary at the Unity Spiritual Center of Woodstock turned out beautifully both visually and acoustically. The folks at USCW are very pleased and the old sanctuary now has new life with more activities and recognition from the community as a great new venue for many things both church and community based including concerts and stage productions.” – George Muligano USCW

Another Happy Client!

Reach out to Acoustics First for a treatment recommendation for your performance space or worship facility!