The Old Bakery Beer Co., Alton, Ill.
Retrofit Team
Acoustical Engineer: Pearl Pro Audio, Godfrey, Ill.
Materials
The glazed white brick and high ceilings throughout the structure are charming but when combined with concrete floors and ceilings, cavernous spaces and traffic noise from a busy nearby freeway, they created a serious problem for the brewery’s owners. It was critical to the business plan that patrons, employees and performers be heard and understood, but it could be difficult for just two people standing in the raw space to have a conversation.
The plan for the large space called for three distinct areas, two of which would need to include a good sound system and speech intelligibility. The 10,000-square-foot brewery area with eight stainless-steel brewing vats would add to the hard surfaces and acoustic challenges but would not be part of the entertainment zone.
“There were a few options for wall and ceiling panels that could have provided the acoustic dampening needed and we reviewed these with the owners,” explains Don Lanier, acoustical engineer with Pearl Pro Audio. “But for the acoustic performance combined with environmental credentials, nothing really compared to 2-inch Finalé panels.”
The panels’ substrate is FSC-certified, manufactured from aspen trees that are self-propagating and the SoniCor infill is made of recycled materials. The aesthetics also fit the look of the refurbished industrial space. Installed on the walls, ceilings and as clouds in roughly 8,000 square feet of pub and restaurant space, the 3,100 square feet of panels create the acoustic conditions necessary. “I was able to create a suitable robust sound system for the space on a reasonable budget because we’d taken the time and effort to fix the acoustics first,” Lanier adds.
Acoustic Panel Manufacturer: Tectum Inc.
Amplifiers: Crown Harman
Mixer/Amplifier and Loudspeakers: Peavey Commercial Audio
The Retrofit
The materials, workmanship, scale and heritage of old industrial buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s can’t be duplicated. The owners and founders of The Old Bakery Beer Co., James Rogalsky and Lauren Pattan, prioritized sustainability for all their operations. “As an organic brewer, we believe that our environmental impact is rightfully a part of every decision we make,” Rogalsky says.
The owners were very happy with the outcome of the acoustic panel application and have had many compliments on the treated space still retaining its live feel yet letting conversations remain quiet while intelligibility is high. “We’ve been really happy with the results,” Pattan, who manages the brewery’s front-of-house activities, notes. “We have many loyal, happy customers and that really is the goal.”
Photo: Tectum Inc.