Aerogels are well‐known as a class of thermal insulation with “green” benefits including translucence, hydrophobicity, and light weight. However, before 2008, the acoustical properties of aerogels had not been characterized. Used by NASA in the 1970s, aerogels became available in the 1990s as insulation for the construction industry in skylights, underwater pipelining, and roofing fabric. In 2008, laboratory testing and field research began on the acoustical properties of thin profile (2–8 mm) architectural “tensile membrane” fabrics incorporating silica aerogel granules. Data from a tension structure in Vancouver—where aerogel‐enhanced fabric was used to block aircraft noise—exhibited excellent acoustic absorption and acoustic impedance matching properties compared to insulators of comparable thickness. In this installation the material increased transmission loss of exterior to interior noise, and reduced indoor reverberation. Also in 2008, U.S. field tests demonstrated an aerogel blanket material as a surface treatment in offices to reduce broadband reverberation, resulting in increased speech intelligibility and enhanced acoustical comfort (an important factor in the 2009 LEED rating system). The acoustical attributes—combined with aerogel’s thermal value, thin form factor, translucence, hydrophobicity, light weight, and absence of VOCs has led to growing interest in applications ranging from aircraft interiors to hospitals.