Acoustics & Liturgical Participation in Churches
Whilst it is very important that churches provide a peaceful worshipping environment, it’s also important that the space is acoustically comfortable for the other activities that take place there. Church design also needs to be sensitive to the age range of users, particularly older patrons who are often sensitive to poor acoustics.
“A room to deaden all sounds is doomed to kill liturgical participation” – Environment and Art in Catholic Worship, 1990.
The church is one of those unique spaces where sound performance is the cornerstone of the users’ experiences. Almost all church activities are affected by sound: the intelligiblity of the spoken word, the privacy of personal confessions, the ambience during collective worship, and the sound of choir and musical performances. On each side of this spectrum we have two activities pitted against each other – The sermon VS the choir performance. Both of these activities require different sound environments to achieve clarity:
- Long reverberation time (RT) is best to enhance sound of the assembly – to amplify the resounding sound of the choir and musical performances. A long RT, however, can render a sermon virtually unintelligible.
- A short reverberation time is best for speech intelligibility, reducing noise bouncing off hard surfaces, creating an echo and increasing noise saturation. A short RT, however, can muffle too much musical sound, highlight musical imperfections and obstruct musical resonance and a church’s vibrant atmosphere.
Striking a balance between these two sound environments is therefore vital to a functioning church space; one that encourages liturgical participation by maintaining a lively environment, whilst providing good sound insulation to prevent the intrusion of distracting sounds during worship and meditation.
Our Work In Churches
Why Choose Us
- Our acoustic survey, full design and no obligation quotation service is completely free of charge throughout the UK.
- We focus on design, creating innovative, visually pleasing installations.
- Our noise assessment and design process ensures we specify the exact quantity of acoustic treatment required. Ensuring there is little waste and our customers are not over spending.
- We work closely with the leading acoustic product manufacturers to get the best prices for our customers.
- Our installers have a wealth of experience and knowledge meaning they can install even the most complex of acoustic systems.
What Clients Say
It has made a huge difference for both the dining hall and the gym. Everyone loves it – especially the teachers!!
The Resonics installation at The Glebe Centre was completed courteously, efficiently, on time and to budget. The improvement was immediately obvious.
Thank you. I am delighted with the quality of the work. The final solution, attitude and communication were excellent.
We are absolutely delighted with the work! What a difference to the acoustics of the hall – so much better!
We are delighted with the work and attention to detail – especially in designing an interesting and aesthetic layout. There is also, of course, a considerable improvement in acoustic performance.
Thank you very much for your work it has made a vast amount of difference to the atmosphere and means quite a lot of people can work in the same room without annoying each other
The panels have made a significant difference to the noise level in the restaurant and we have had lots of positive feedback from customers. I would like to thank you and your team for providing this solution and the high level of service.