The newly refurbished South Atrium entrance, Te Ao Mārama, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum opened on 3 December 2020, after being closed for approximately 18 months. Marshall Day Acoustics began work on the refurbishment in 2015.
A key goal of the project was to improve the acoustics of the overly reverberant space to control noise buildup and improve clarity for different uses, including music/cultural performances, functions and presentations.
We explored treatment options with the design team and client and determined three options to reduce the RT from 3.4 seconds down to 1.8 – 2.4 seconds. Instead of presenting these options in a report with ‘numbers’, we demonstrated them virtually in our 3D Listening Room, allowing the client to choose the option which met their expectations for the space. The client chose the 1.8 second RT option.
On completion of the project, our recent commissioning measurements showed that the RT was bang on 1.8 seconds, as presented in our auralisation. Feedback from the client and design team has been very positive:
“The acoustics in the area are superb! Well done and pass on congrats to the team - other trustees also commented on it - the Te Reo oratory was super crisp.” – Mark Binns, Auckland Museum Board
“The results are very pleasing and the results are noticeable. We had the karakia on Saturday morning with about 250 people and not once did I notice any issues with echo/noise etc.” – Chris Smith, Auckland Museum PM
“Congratulations on creating a transformed acoustic environment. Everyone has been enjoying it, and it makes the space feel very calm, even if there are 200+ people in there.” – Marianne Riley, Jasmax
