Suvarnabhumi Airport Office Building

Why Large Airports Need to Prioritize "Reverberation" Indoors

                  Have you ever noticed that in some airports, announcements over the PA system are hard to understand or muffled by echoes, forcing passengers to listen harder than usual?

This happens because large spaces with high ceilings, steel structures, and numerous hard surfaces—such as glass, metal, or concrete—are prone to generating reverberation and echoes.

For a continuously operating facility like an airport, acoustic issues impact not only user comfort but also communication clarity and the overall passenger experience.

This was precisely one of the key challenges for the AOB Suvarnabhumi project, which required acoustic improvements to ensure the interior spaces were properly optimized for airport operations.

The Origin of the Problem : Large spaces and inevitable echoes

Airport interiors are typically designed with large halls, high ceilings, and open-plan structures to accommodate a high volume of passengers.

While this design creates an airy and grand atmosphere, acoustically, such structures often lead to issues such as:

• Sound reflections from floors, walls, and ceilings
  
  

• Reverberation within large spaces
  
  

• Reduced clarity of public announcements
  
  

• Increased acoustic disturbance in the environment
  
  

Therefore, for the AOB zone at Suvarnabhumi Airport, a solution was needed to reduce reverberation within the space, helping to create a more acoustically balanced environment.

Solution Approach : Using Acoustic Ceiling Systems for Sound Control

After analyzing the spatial characteristics and usage requirements, the team selected the acoustic ceiling system Acoustics T-Bar Star Tegular Edge

which is designed to help absorb sound energy and reduce sound wave reflection within the space.

Installing acoustic ceilings in this manner allows the ceiling surface to act as a sound-absorbing surface instead of reflecting sound like standard hard materials.

As a result, sounds that previously echoed back and forth within the area are partially absorbed, reducing the Reverberation Time within the space.

Key Features of the Acoustics T-Bar Star System

The Acoustics T-Bar Star Tegular Edge ceiling system is designed to support applications in large spaces requiring sound control, such as public buildings, airports, or high-traffic areas.

Key features of the system include:

1. Helps reduce echoes within the space

Acoustic ceiling tiles absorb a portion of the sound energy, reducing indoor sound reverberation.

2. Improves acoustic quality in public spaces

With reduced sound reflection, public announcements and speech clarity within the area are significantly enhanced.

3. Ideal for large areas

The T-Bar ceiling system can be efficiently installed in large spaces and well-supports public building structures.

4. Helps create a comfortable environment for usage

When echo is reduced, the indoor atmosphere becomes calmer and more acoustically balanced.

   

Result: An airport area with a more acoustically balanced environment

After installing the Acoustics T-Star concealed grid ceiling system within the AOB area at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the indoor acoustic environment has become much more balanced.

Internal reverberation has been reduced

The overall atmosphere offers greater acoustic comfort

And effectively supports the functionality of high-traffic public spaces