The Espace Étincelle event center is primarily intended to create a concert hall and live performance venue for amplified musical events. This primary use has strongly influenced the building’s acoustic design, both in terms of audience comfort and protection of the neighborhood, which is a particularly quiet residential area.
Beyond its major cultural vocation, the facility also had to remain modular, with additional rooms (conference rooms, small and medium-sized auditoriums) capable of accommodating professional uses. This combination generated complex acoustic challenges: controlling reverberation times suitable for concerts, high levels of insulation between spaces, strict control of sound emissions, and the integration of powerful technical equipment without causing noise pollution.
Acoustics was therefore a key factor in enabling the venue to be used for musical performances while ensuring its compatibility with the urban environment.
Our team supported our client (Communauté d’Agglomération Bergeracoise) throughout the project to ensure the consistency and compliance of the acoustic studies carried out by the design team.
We verified the consistency of the studies conducted by the project management team, particularly those related to amplified music, high operating levels, and limiting external noise pollution.
Our work focused on analyzing internal and external acoustic models, validating the reverberation objectives for the main hall, checking the insulation performance of the building envelope (concrete walls, metal structures, acoustic roofing), and verifying studies relating to noise from technical equipment.
We also ensured the acoustic compatibility of secondary spaces with concert use. This mission enabled us to guide technical choices in order to guarantee a high-performance, usable performance hall that complies with regulations.
Our support helped to ensure the creation of a high-quality concert hall capable of hosting amplified performances at high sound levels while complying with regulatory constraints related to the neighborhood.
The approved solutions provided high-performance acoustic insulation, effectively limiting sound emissions and controlling reverberation times, which are suitable for musical performances. Reviews of the technical equipment helped maintain noise levels compatible with the comfort of the audience and performers.
Thanks to this approach, the CAB now has a reliable, functional and sustainable cultural facility, where the acoustics fully support the musical programming while allowing for additional use for professional events.
