Acoustic Design
Acoustic Quality
Architecture is a multisensory experience, and acoustic quality plays a fundamental role in how a space is perceived. In performing arts venues, the acoustic response must support the intended programme: speech requires clarity and intelligibility; concert halls need warmth, resonance and musical definition; opera houses must balance orchestral richness with vocal clarity.
Many contemporary venues also host amplified concerts, conferences and other events with very different acoustic requirements. Where appropriate, we therefore design variable acoustic systems that allow a room to adapt to different uses.
In many other building types, successful acoustics should be almost invisible. In museums, galleries, educational buildings, public spaces, hotels and workplaces, our role is to control reverberation, noise and vibration so that acoustics support the experience without drawing attention to themselves.
“…I have worked with several internationally acclaimed acousticians, and I have to say that Sebastien stands out as one of the most personable, dedicated and professional. A fine proponent of what many consider a ‘black art’, He is not only highly skilled on a technical level but also a collaborator, sensitive to the often-competing demands of other disciplines. His success as an acoustician is not only about having a fine ear for sound and music, but it is also about his vision and how well he listens to the client and other members of the project team…”
Kerr Robertson
Kerr Robertson is former Director of Civic Design at Glasgow City Council Architects who served as an RIBA Trustee, undertaking several roles, including Interim Chair of the Board, Acting RIBA President, Honorary Secretary, and Chair of the British Architectural Library.
Room Acoustics
Room acoustics ensures that the acoustic response of a space is appropriate to its use. Reverberation Time (RT) and Speech Transmission Index (STI) are important measures, but they are only part of the picture.
For concert halls, opera houses and theatres, we also assess parameters including Early Decay Time, musical and vocal clarity, sound strength, lateral energy fraction and stage support (EDT, C80, D50, G, LF80 and ST1). Interpreting these metrics and translating them into architectural design requires specialist experience, judgement and close collaboration with the wider design team.
« Sébastien Jouan has been providing acoustic consultancy to Scottish Opera for more than 15 years, working on the Theatre Royal or with our orchestra on a variety of topics. I am very pleased to recommend the services of Studio JOUAN and delighted that Sébastien has founded his own agency. »
Alex Reedijk
Director
Scottish Opera
Building Acoustics
Building acoustics ensures that sound insulation between spaces is appropriate to their respective uses. We work with architects from the earliest design stages to position noise-sensitive and noise-generating spaces intelligently, helping to avoid unnecessarily complex, heavy or costly constructions later in the project.
Our work considers airborne and structure-borne sound transmission through concrete, lightweight, timber and other constructions, as well as the difference between laboratory-rated performance and the performance achieved on site, where flanking transmission through adjacent walls, floors and junctions must also be considered. Where necessary, we specify high-performance solutions such as box-in-box constructions to protect sensitive spaces from neighbouring noise and vibration.
« Alcôv called upon Studio Jouan for a comprehensive acoustic design mission. This mission was made complex by the high level of requirement sought and by the specific features of the buildings (wood construction, demountable structures with a high concentration of multimedia technology). The advice of Studio JOUAN, both for the acoustic quality of the hall, the building acoustics, the treatment of the soundscape, and the creative possibilities, was particularly relevant and well-adapted. It is therefore with great pleasure that we recommend their work and the services they provide».
Augustin de Cointet de Fillain
President
Alcôv
Control of noise and vibration from building services and theatre equipment
Controlling noise and vibration from mechanical, electrical and theatre systems is fundamental to the success of a performing arts venue and to the acoustic comfort of any high-quality building.
We work with the wider engineering and theatre design teams to establish appropriate criteria and ensure that building services and equipment do not introduce intrusive noise or vibration into sensitive spaces.
“… I have known Mr Jouan since he was doing acoustic research with Glasgow School of Art. He has wide experience of the practical side of theatres, performance and exhibition spaces meeting varied audience needs”
Geoffrey Marsh
Director of Theatre and Performing Arts Department
V&A Museum
Soundscape Design
Soundscape design considers the social, psychological and aesthetic qualities of the acoustic environment. We analyse existing sound conditions and work with the wider masterplan and landscape design to protect quiet areas, manage transport and infrastructure noise, and create external spaces that are comfortable and engaging.
Our experience in sound art also allows us to explore creative sound interventions where these can contribute positively to the identity and experience of a place.
Auralisation can be used to demonstrate proposed soundscape conditions before they are built.
“Studio JOUAN (…) was entrusted with an acoustic consultancy mission and a preliminary study for the Pyramid of the Louvre Museum. The study involved particularly innovative technical resources, notably for the auralisation and visualisation of the different proposed improvement options, with a demonstration carried out in the presence of the general management of the public institution. They were very impressed by the work carried out by Studio JOUAN and by the promising solutions recommended. The study was entirely satisfactory»
Arnaud Amelot
Director of Architecture, Maintenance and Gardens
Musée du Louvre
New Technologies and
Ecological Imperatives
Buildings are changing rapidly. Multimedia systems, interactive environments, immersive technologies and new forms of audience participation increasingly influence architecture and the way spaces are used. At the same time, the construction industry must reduce its carbon impact, encouraging greater use of timber and other lower-carbon construction methods.
Acoustic design must evolve with these changes. Studio Jouan combines experience in new technologies with specialist knowledge of timber construction, helping clients achieve innovation, acoustic comfort and environmental performance without treating these objectives in isolation.
« Sébastien Jouan has been working with us for almost 7 years now, enthusiastically providing acoustic advice for the design and realization of the enclosed space that will host the future festival. His work, of course, focuses on the acoustic qualities of the venue, but his knowledge of musical production spaces, his passion for music and opera, and his familiarity with the network of professionals involved in such projects have greatly helped us to move the project forward. He has put us in touch with different members of the design and production team who are advising us as we speak».
Robert Heath
Director
Opéra Pléïades