Textile Membranes Reused as a Tool for Noise Control

Abstract

Textile membranes are an architectural solution used for their maximal lightness, efficiency and adaptability. Unfortunately, once they reach their end-of-life phase, it is difficult to recover them. To be disposed of, they undergo very expensive and often difficult recycling processes. Their reuse as an acoustic treatment and reverberation control system is a solution to creating a light, economical and effective acoustic system that also solves the difficult end-of-life scenario. The membranes take on the role of acoustic diffusers, elements that, through their geometric conformation, can control the behavior of sound. The structure of the system allows the acoustics of the interior spaces to be conditioned through some peculiar characteristics that are influenced, in part, by the material they are made of but above all by their shape. By cutting and joining the membranes, a modular and repeatable element is created, which, in combination with others, enables the creation of an acoustic control device capable of competing with traditional acoustic treatment systems without the use of newly produced materials. The optimized shape of the membranes is the variable responsible for the effective reduction in reverberation times: 2.2 s compared to the initial value of 7.5 without the textile membranes.