The Hansgrohe InnovationParc Shanghai is an immersive brand experience center built around the concept of the “Journey of Water”, a sensory architectural narrative designed by Ippolito Fleitz Group. It guides visitors through a world where water, design, and human experience are at the core of the journey. Spanning 1,500 sqm, the destination brings together a 20-meter-high event hall, a lecture hall and workshop on the third floor, R&D office spaces, experience shower areas and a showroom, conceived as a living space where Hansgrohe’s heritage, craftsmanship and innovation converge under one roof.
In an environment entirely built around sensory experience, acoustic design could not be left to chance. Each zone carries its own acoustic identity, and every sense had to be engaged with intention. The 20-meter-high event hall and the third floor lecture hall and workshop, both clad in hard and reflective surfaces, presented a critical architectural acoustics challenge: their dramatic volumes, while architecturally powerful, generated excessive reverberation that would undermine speech intelligibilityduring events, product presentations, training sessions and professional gatherings. On the ground floor, the showroom presented a distinct challenge: managing sound propagation and listening comfort across interconnected zones, product display areas, meeting spaces and reception, within an open layout where sound travels freely between functions, requiring acoustic solutions that integrate seamlessly into the architecture without compromising the design.
Recognizing that acoustics was a fundamental layer of the sensory experience itself, our team delivered a comprehensive acoustic engineering mission from concept design to on-site acceptance measurements, working in close coordination with Ippolito Fleitz Group throughout every phase.
We conducted advanced 3D acoustic modelling for the 20-meter-high event hall to predict reverberation behaviour before any physical treatment, allowing us to define precise acoustic targets and guide material selection in full respect of the architectural and interior design intent. In the event hall, a seamless acoustic spray system was applied to the full ceiling surface, maximizing sound absorption within the large volume while appearing as a refined architectural finish. Fabric acoustic curtains were introduced on the walls to provide additional absorption for specific events and to control sound reflections from the curved surfaces. Soft-finish cushioned furniture contributed complementary absorption throughout. For the lecture hall and workshop, acoustic performance and design intent were treated as equally important, ensuring the spatial aesthetic was fully preserved. Across the showroom, a targeted strategy was implemented to manage noise propagation between connected zones and preserve listening comfort across all areas. The scope concluded with on-site acceptance measurements covering reverberation, background noise levels and sound insulation, comparing results against the initial design intent.
The acoustic design we delivered achieved the defined performance targets across all zones, turning each space into an environment where sound serves the experience. In the lecture hall and workshop, the reverberation time target of 0.8 seconds was fully met, elevating speech intelligibility to a comfortable level throughout all occupied areas and enabling fatigue-free verbal communication for professional audiences of up to 100 people. Across the event hall and showroom, controlled acoustic conditions now support the full range of activities the space was designed to host, from high-profile brand events to intimate product encounters.
Perhaps the most telling achievement is what visitors do not notice. Every acoustic treatment was designed to blend into the architecture: the seamless spray appears as a refined ceiling finish, the fabric curtains feel like a deliberate design gesture, and the upholstered furniture contributes absorption without ever announcing it. In a space conceived to carry Hansgrohe’s spirit of craftsmanship and its relationship with water into the heart of Shanghai, the sound comfort we helped create may be the most eloquent detail of all.
