Drama by Design was appointed by the University of Hertfordshire to provide specialist acoustic consultancy for the concept design of a new film studio within the Todd Building at the University’s Hatfield Campus. Located on the ground floor in the north-western corner of the existing three-storey building, the project involves the creation of a professional-standard film studio alongside associated spaces including a green room, office, small plant room, and new lobby connections from existing circulation areas.

The appointment focused on developing a concept-stage acoustic strategy to inform the design of the studio and supporting spaces. Early briefing discussions were held with representatives of the University, including the Dean of the department, course leaders, and facilities management, to clarify the intended uses and performance aspirations for the space. The studio is to support feature film production, student teaching, and commercial hire to third parties, and therefore must meet professional standards for sound isolation, internal noise control, and room acoustic quality.

The studio sits above a basement staff car park and below teaching spaces currently used by the art department, which will remain design-based, likely for computer-focused creative work. The structural form of the Todd Building is a concrete frame. The ground floor slab beneath the studio comprises a 300mm deep in-situ flat concrete slab, while the first floor above is formed from a 600mm deep in-situ “waffle” slab, with the thinner sections of the slab typically 100mm thick and forming the majority of the soffit. Original structural drawings were reviewed to inform our understanding of the construction, although certain junction details — particularly at the interfaces between the floor slabs and the external walls — required careful consideration.

Externally, the building envelope consists predominantly of masonry walls, with a significant area of two-storey curtain walling forming part of the north and west façades. The site’s proximity to the A1(M), including an off-ramp running close to the site boundary, presents a notable external noise risk. Although the main carriageway sits in a cutting, the elevated slip road required assessment in relation to potential traffic noise ingress. As part of the concept study, we identified key acoustic risks associated with the façade design, slab junctions, and flanking transmission paths, proposing performance targets and indicative construction strategies to mitigate external noise intrusion and ensure robust internal sound insulation.

Internally, the studio is to incorporate a solid infinity cove located in the north-west corner, extending approximately halfway along the north and west façades. The acoustic design therefore needed to support controlled room acoustics suitable for film production, with careful management of reflections, lateral sound behaviour, and reverberation characteristics. At concept stage, we established acoustic performance criteria for airborne and impact sound insulation between the studio and adjacent spaces, along with target internal noise levels appropriate for professional recording. Outline construction build-ups were proposed to achieve these targets, taking into account the existing structure and spatial constraints.

As the building services design was not yet developed, services acoustics were addressed strategically. Guidance was provided on noise limits, vibration isolation, plant location, and ductwork design principles to ensure that future MEP proposals would align with the stringent acoustic requirements of a professional film studio.

The concept acoustic design report summarised the key acoustic issues, identified potential sound transmission paths, and established clear performance standards to guide the next stages of design development. By engaging early and working collaboratively with the University’s academic and facilities teams, Drama by Design helped set a robust acoustic framework for the project — ensuring the proposed studio will deliver the isolation, low noise levels, and controlled acoustic environment required for high-quality film production and teaching within an existing campus building.

Drama by Design was appointed by Stride Treglown on behalf of Cardiff University to provide specialist acoustic consultancy services in relation to the proposed remodelling of 50–51 Park Place in Cardiff. The scheme involves significant alterations to the internal layout and use of the buildings, including the removal of numerous separating walls, retention of selected elements, installation of new partitions, and the retention of existing separating floors. The refurbished accommodation will provide new seminar rooms and associated teaching spaces, requiring careful consideration of acoustic performance to ensure suitability for higher education use.

The site comprises two distinct but connected buildings, including a further extension to 51 Park Place. No. 50 Park Place is a former Victorian terraced house that was long ago converted to office and student use. Its construction reflects its domestic origins, with timber joist floors and masonry external walls. No. 51 Park Place was originally constructed as a double-height student assembly hall. It has since been substantially altered, first by inserting a new intermediate floor to create ground and first storeys, and subsequently by adding an additional floor above the original roof level. The external walls are of heavy masonry construction, and some internal walls are also heavy masonry; however, within the main converted assembly hall building many of the internal partitions are lightweight plasterboard constructions. The floors in No. 51 therefore comprise two quite different construction types, and while full historical construction details were not available, site inspections were undertaken as far as practicable to inform our assessment.

Given the extent of the remodelling and the change in room function, understanding the acoustic performance of these retained elements was essential. Drama by Design carried out a detailed programme of airborne and impact sound insulation testing to establish the existing performance of the separating floors and selected walls. This provided baseline data to determine whether the retained constructions were capable of meeting the performance expectations for seminar and teaching spaces, or whether upgrades would be required.

The testing process enabled us to identify key sound transmission paths within the structure, including potential flanking transmission through junctions, lightweight partitions within the former assembly hall, and the timber joist floors within No. 50. The differing construction types between the two buildings required careful analysis, particularly where new layouts introduced sensitive adjacencies between seminar rooms and circulation areas.

Alongside the testing programme, we advised on appropriate sound insulation standards for university buildings, drawing on best practice guidance for higher education environments where speech intelligibility, privacy, and control of disturbance are critical. Our recommendations were developed to balance performance requirements with the practical constraints of adapting and retaining significant elements of an existing building.

By combining measured acoustic data, site investigation, and detailed analysis of transmission mechanisms, Drama by Design supported the design team in developing a clear and robust acoustic strategy for the refurbishment. Our input ensures that the remodelled 50–51 Park Place building will deliver seminar and teaching spaces with appropriate acoustic separation, supporting effective learning while respecting the structural and architectural character of the existing buildings.