Everything you need
to know about acoustics.
Why is acoustics important?
What is acoustics?
Most people rarely think about acoustics in their daily lives. We take it for granted that we can talk in a meeting room, hear music clearly in the living room, or unwind in the bedroom. But behind those experiences lies an invisible phenomenon: the movement of sound within a space.
When acoustics are poor, we notice it immediately. We tire more easily, lose focus, or have to raise our voices just to communicate. At worst, it leads to stress, discomfort, or misunderstandings. When acoustics are well balanced, we hardly notice them - we simply experience the room as calm, natural, and comfortable. In that way, good acoustics are like fresh air: we only notice them when they’re gone.
Sound isn’t just air.
It’s invisible waves of pressure.
Acoustics is about more than volume. It is about how sound moves through a space, interacts with surfaces, and is either amplified or absorbed. The process is invisible, but its impact is unmistakable. In rooms dominated by hard materials, sound can feel sharp and unsettled, even during ordinary conversation. Voices overlap, concentration drops, and the space demands more energy than it should.
When acoustics are carefully considered, the experience changes. Sound settles, balance is restored, and the room becomes easier to be in. Conversations feel natural, focus improves, and mental fatigue is reduced. Good acoustics do not call attention to themselves. They support the function and atmosphere of a space, quietly and effectively.
How Sound Waves and Reflection
Shape Arturel’s Acoustic Design
Sound travels in waves, created by vibrations in the air. When these waves hit hard surfaces like concrete or glass, they reflect back into the room. This creates echoes and a build-up of sound energy, making the space uncomfortable to be in.
One of the most effective ways to improve acoustics is through acoustic pieces designed to absorb sound and create balance in a space. By reducing unwanted noise and reverberation, they contribute to a calmer and more comfortable acoustic environment.
Arturel’s pieces, made from PET felt, absorb sound by allowing sound waves to enter the material’s dense network of fibers. As the sound travels through the felt structure, resistance and friction slow the movement of air, and the sound energy is gradually converted into heat. This process reduces the intensity of sound and helps create a significantly more pleasant acoustic environment.
Both thickness and density play a crucial role in how effectively sound is absorbed. Thicker and denser felt elements improve absorption toward the lower end of the frequency spectrum, while thinner elements are particularly effective at reducing mid- to high-frequency sounds such as speech and consonants. By combining different thicknesses, shapes, and placements, Arturel’s acoustic pieces create well-balanced acoustics tailored to the specific needs of a space.
How it works
Reflection
Some of the sound is reflected back into the room. This creates echo or reverberation.
Absorption
Some of the sound is absorbed by the material and converted into thermal energy. That’s what reduces noise. Sound waves are pushed into the felt’s fibers and gradually broken down through friction.
Placement
The right number and placement have a significant impact on the acoustic effect.
What does the science say?
Why is good acoustics important?
Good acoustics aren’t a luxury - they’re a fundamental requirement for us to function, work, communicate, and thrive. Research in acoustics, psychology, and medicine clearly shows that the sound environment around us has a direct impact on our health, cognition, and quality of life.
Focus and productivity
In open-plan offices or classrooms, poor acoustics can have serious consequences. When background noise and reverberation are high, the brain uses extra energy to filter out irrelevant sounds. A phenomenon known as cognitive noise load. International studies show that employees can lose up to 15–20% of their productivity in poorly designed acoustic environments - equivalent to almost an entire workday per week.
Health and wellbeing
Noise isn’t just a nuisance. The WHO classifies noise pollution as the second biggest environmental threat to public health in Europe - surpassed only by air pollution. Long-term noise exposure increases levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can lead to high blood pressure, poor sleep, and over time, a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Even moderate noise levels can be measured in the body as elevated heart rate and restlessness.
Clear communication
In noisy environments, we lose up to every third word in a conversation. The brain then has to compensate by guessing the missing information - which leads to misunderstandings, fatigue, and reduced quality of collaboration. In schools, daycare centres, and meeting rooms, this is directly critical for learning and dialogue.
Aesthetics and experience
A room can be visually beautiful but feel uncomfortable if the acoustics are poor. Sound is part of architecture - an invisible layer that shapes how we experience a space. Good acoustics can make a room feel intimate, calm, and inviting, while poor acoustics can make it feel hectic, cold, and draining.
Our customers
I’ve never experienced this level of craftsmanship before. The design feels both timeless and modern, and the quality is exceptional. Arturel has truly elevated my space.
Jan Madsen
Herbalife Pyramide-top-person M/K, Monte Carlo
● Arturel Research Lab
V.001
Experts when it comes
to sound.
For the more technically curious, it is important to understand how acoustic performance is measured, and why figures such as NRC describe only part of the acoustic behavior of a material.
NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) is derived from laboratory measurements of sound absorption. In testing, the material is placed in a large reverberation chamber, and the change in reverberation time is measured with and without the sample present. These measurements are conducted according to ISO 354, which provides absorption coefficients in octave or one-third-octave frequency bands.
NRC itself is calculated according to ASTM C423 as the arithmetic average of absorption coefficients at 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz.
Because NRC is an average value, it does not describe how a material performs at individual frequencies. This is especially true in the low-frequency range. NRC also does not account for placement, air gaps, or the geometry of a room.
Typical NRC values for common materials include:
- Concrete or glass: NRC ≈ 0.05 (highly reflective)
- Wood flooring: NRC ≈ 0.10–0.15
- Carpet on hard backing: NRC ≈ 0.30–0.40
- Heavy curtains: NRC ≈ 0.60–0.70
- Arturel pieces: NRC ≈ 0.70–0.85 (depending on thickness, density, and mounting)
An NRC value approaching 0.85 places these acoustic elements in the category of high-performance absorbers. This level is comparable to many professional architectural acoustic panels. By combining varying thicknesses, shapes, and placements, it is possible to achieve more balanced absorption across the relevant frequency ranges within a space.
Mounting and distance
When it comes to acoustic performance, it’s not just the material that matters - installation plays a key role too. Most of Arturel’s pieces are mounted using our standard brackets, which create approximately 1 cm of space from the wall. It’s the solution we provide as standard, both because it’s visually discreet and easy to install.
What does that mean for acoustics?
When there’s a larger air gap behind the piece (e.g. 200 mm), it acts as an additional buffer - especially improving absorption of the deepest frequencies. Sound waves in the bass range have very long wavelengths and need space to “unfold” in order to be effectively absorbed.
- At 200 mm distance: NRC ≈ 0.85
- At 1 cm distance (our brackets): NRC typically drops to 0.75–0.80
This means you lose a bit in the bass range, but in practice the difference is minimal above 500 Hz - which is where speech, music, and most everyday sounds occur. At those frequencies, the pieces still perform at an absolutely top level.
It’s worth noting that this figure is a qualified estimate, based on ISO 354 tests and experience with similar materials. For exact values, lab measurements with this specific mounting setup are required. (Coming soon)
Conclusion
NRC provides a quick point of reference and shows that Arturel’s pieces rank at the very top. The air gap is essential for how well low frequencies are absorbed. To fully understand performance, you need to look at frequency curves and mounting conditions - and in this regard, the pieces perform exceptionally well, even compared to the best traditional solutions.
Arturel - Acoustics as art
From hidden function to aesthetic object
Mineral wool ceilings, perforated panels or neutral screens - they work, but often signal institution and compromise. At Arturel, we believe acoustics can be an experience in themselves. Our pieces combine science, art, and recycled materials.
They absorb sound effectively, as documented through testing. They integrate beautifully into architecture as design objects. We work with recycled plastic, textile surplus, and other innovative materials - so the pieces not only reduce noise, but also add identity and character to a space.
So what does it mean…
Acoustics may be invisible, but their impact is anything but. Poor acoustics drain us of energy and focus. Good acoustics create calm, clarity, and balance. And when the solution is also a piece of art - one that unites function and design - you get the best of both worlds: a space that both feels right and looks right. Arturel isn’t just acoustics. It’s intentional art. A counterpoint to noise. And a quiet imprint on the architecture.
