Delta H Design

Project Location: Laguna Beach, California
Product Type: ZR Cloaks, ZR Barn Doors, Custom DHDI Isolators
Services: Acoustic Consulting, Architecture
Owner / Client: WCM
Photographer: DHDI

Laguna Beach’s firm commitment to historical architectural simultaneously keeps it’s small town charm intact, while severely limiting traditional acoustic design and construction techniques. All existing structures must remain completely untouched. For WCM’s executive boardroom, this means that only a thin layer exists between their newly renovated ZR Acoustic-ized boardroom and their neighbors below.

Directly beneath the boardroom, only a slim layer of plywood separated their quiet, clear and intelligible conference room from a thriving, successful beauty salon. Like most salons, the interiors were modern, flashy and covered with mirrors. Speakers were bolted to the ceiling above, translating every drum beat and vocal line directly upstairs, using the ceiling diaphragmatically as a perfect transducer.

Thankfully, Quantum Acoustic devices are a fraction of the size and weight of traditional solutions, making them perfect for the setting, while complying to both city and landlord requirements.

The simple solution was to replace every speaker with a pro audio speaker, each wrapped in ZR Cloaks with ZR Barn Doors. Now, all sound energy is directed only toward the downstairs clientele, not toward their upstairs neighbor. It supplanted the need to build a new ceiling/floor and cover large areas of ceilings and walls with traditional absorption and bass traps, which would violate both city code and the landlord’s wishes.

DHDI designed custom vibration isolators, intergrating with the ZR Cloak and Barn Doors, isolating every speaker from it’s connection to the upstairs structure. Tall ceilings kept the integrated ZR Acoustics®/pro audio system out of sight, nearly thirteen feet above sightlines.

WCM was overjoyed with it’s newfound peace and serenity, the beauty salon was delighted at the clarity and fullness of their new sound, the landlord approved with great pleasure, and Laguna Beach was happy to have it’s city ordinances respected. All thanks to advances in acoustic technology.

By acoustically removing both the airborne sound and the physical vibration, WCM and it’s neighbor were finally inaudible to each other. The beauty salon’s sound system “sounds like a nightclub”, and WCM’s boardroom was quiet and serene even during their most delicate one-on-one zoom call. Laguna Beach’s city ordinance’s were easily met and exceeded, the landlord got an upgrade to Pro Audio/ZR Acoustics®, the beauty salon got a fabulous new sound, and WCM quickly forgot they ever had a loud neighbor below them.

WCM Conference Room

WCM II

WCM II