Electrical Trades Training Centre – Kangan Institute
Improving Communication in a High-Noise Vocational Environment
The Electrical Trades Training Centre, operated by Kangan Institute in partnership with the ETU (Electrical Trades Union), is a key training facility for electrical apprentices in Victoria. Due to the high ceilings, hard surfaces, and open layout, staff faced serious difficulties communicating clearly during lessons. Students also struggled to focus amid distracting background noise.
Noise Challenges in Technical Training Facilities
The training rooms featured large raked ceilings, open service penetrations, and mock construction walls designed to simulate real worksites. These surfaces, along with exposed services, reflected sound throughout the room—resulting in excessive reverberation and speech distortion.
Sontext Solution with SerenityLite Panels
To reduce reverberation and improve clarity, Sontext recommended installing SerenityLite Acoustic Panels on both the walls and ceilings. These panels were placed on the most reflective surfaces to absorb sound at the source. Based on acoustic analysis, 25mm panels were chosen to target mid- to high-frequency noise, ideal for human speech.
The panels were finished in Trilogy One acoustic fabric and manufactured to order, ensuring precise installation around services, windows, and other existing features. Sontext’s ability to tailor panel shapes and sizes helped achieve both functional and visual integration into the space.
Solution
After consulting with the management of ETU and Kangan Institute teaching staff, it was decided to install sound-absorbing SerenityLite Wall and Ceiling Panels. In this type of situation, it is ideal to install sound-absorbing Acoustic panels as close as possible to the sound source, in this case, the most reflective surfaces.
It was found that most of the excessive noise was in the mid- to high-frequency range. This information allows us to specify the appropriate thickness of the sound-absorbing panel. The choice of panel thickness was 25mm thick SerenityLite, as this was the optimum solution to absorb sound waves at the frequencies of voices. Sontext manufactured the panels with Trilogy One acoustic fabric facing for the walls and ceilings. Made-to-order manufacturing is a specialty of Sontext that enables installation around fixtures, windows, doors, etc., in existing buildings.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Product | SerenityLite Acoustic Panel |
| Application | Wall and Ceiling Mounted |
| Panel Thickness | 25mm |
| Core Material | Acoustic Fibreglass |
| Facing | Trilogy One Acoustic Fabric |
| NRC Rating | 0.85 |
| Installation | Made to order, custom fit for walls and ceilings |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why were SerenityLite panels used in this project?
SerenityLite panels were chosen for their high performance in absorbing mid- to high-frequency noise, particularly voice-related noise.
2. Can acoustic panels be customised for existing buildings?
Yes, Sontext manufactures panels to order, allowing for installation around fixtures, penetrations, windows and doors.
3. What challenges did the training centre face?
The centre had high ceilings and hard surfaces causing reverberation, echo, and poor speech clarity.
4. What thickness panel was installed?
25mm panels were selected as the most effective thickness to absorb speech frequencies in the environment.
5. Can these panels be used in other educational facilities?
Absolutely. SerenityLite panels are ideal for classrooms, training centres, lecture halls, and similar learning environments.
Need to reduce noise in your learning or training facility?
Contact Sontext today to discuss acoustic solutions tailored to your space.
