Creating a Quieter, More Private Waiting Area for the Netherlands Consulate

An expert solution to high noise levels and reverberation

Located in Bondi Junction, the Netherlands Consulate General Sydney is the Australian representative for citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

It’s a vital conduit between Dutch people and their home country; yet consulate staff were struggling with extreme noise and reverberation in their waiting room.

The challenge

The Netherlands Consulate faced issues both with noise and echo, and a lack of privacy for visitors. These challenges has been created due to the consulate staff’s need to work behind bullet proof glass.

Mics and speakers have been installed to allow staff to communicate effectively with their visitors. The speakers face into the waiting room, which is constructed of architectural metal sheeting, gyprock and glass. The speakers would project staff voices into the waiting room, and the soundwaves would hit the back wall and bounce back to hit the bulletproof glass, increasing noise levels and reverberation in the waiting room.

What’s more, the Consulate faced additional concerns around the set-up of the queue. There was no separation between the two lines of visitors, meaning there was no barrier to stop others in the waiting room from hearing private conversations and seeing others’ personal information.

Freestanding and wall acoustic treatment in a waiting area. The waiting area is equipped with freestanding and wall-mounted acoustic treatment to improve the acoustics of the space. — The freestanding acoustic panels are strategically placed to create designated seating areas while reducing noise reflections. Additionally, wall-mounted acoustic panels are installed to further enhance sound absorption and create a more comfortable environment for waiting patients or visitors.

Acoustic fabric on the walls of a waiting area. — The freestanding acoustic panels are strategically placed to create designated seating areas while reducing noise reflections. Additionally, wall-mounted acoustic panels are installed to further enhance sound absorption and create a more comfortable environment for waiting patients or visitors.

The Avenue Solution

Avenue Interior Systems worked extensively with the Consulate to create their ideal solution. We began by completing a site visit, followed by extensive telephone and email conversations to finalise the design.

Avenue’s solution featured Calando Acoustic Fabric covering the architectural metal wall, and an ECO Strong free-standing divider. The Calando Acoustic Fabric absorbed some of the sound which had been projected into the waiting room, and the divider created both an acoustic and a visual barrier between visitors, to ensure their privacy when speaking with consulate staff.

Results Achieved by Avenue

The Avenue team worked closely with the Consulate to achieve their desired outcome of speech intelligibility and privacy. The waiting room is now quieter, more intimate, and much more conducive for the types of services the Consulate provides. Staff no longer have concerns about visitor privacy, and the waiting room is neither reverberant nor loud.

To ensure there was no disruption to their schedule, the Avenue team arranged to install the solution on a day when the Consulate was not open.

Like our parent company Flexshield, Avenue design, manufacture and install our acoustic solutions. This enabled us to create a customised design for the consulate which met all their requirements.