The town of Les Eyzies, part of the Vézère Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its rich prehistoric heritage, is home to one of the world’s most significant centres for prehistoric research and interpretation. The design of the International Centre of Prehistory needed to balance contemporary architectural expression with sensitivity to the site’s historical and cultural context.
The museum includes exhibition halls, auditoriums, and educational spaces, each with specific and demanding acoustic requirements. Achieving acoustic comfort in such cultural venues is essential to ensure visitors can engage fully with the content—without distraction or fatigue. The large volumes, reflective surfaces, and diverse functions of the building called for a cohesive and tailored acoustic strategy.
The client entrusted us with the complete acoustic design for the museum, from concept to completion. We defined target values for reverberation, sound insulation, and noise control for each space.
In the auditoriums, we focused on speech intelligibility and audience immersion, while exhibition areas were treated to minimize echoes and support a calm and engaging experience.
Acoustic treatments were carefully selected and integrated into the design to respect the building’s minimalist architecture while creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all visitors.Visitors now experience a museum where acoustic comfort enhances intellectual and emotional immersion. Sounds are clean, intelligible, and contextually appropriate; echoes have been minimized, and ambient noise remains low even during peak visitation. Delhom’s intervention helped transform the space into a cultural environment where the past can be heard as clearly as it is seen, an interpretive center where silence, when needed, speaks volumes.
Visitors now experience a museum where acoustic comfort enhances intellectual and emotional immersion. Sounds are clean, intelligible, and contextually appropriate; echoes have been minimized, and ambient noise remains low even during peak visitation. Delhom’s intervention helped transform the space into a cultural environment where the past can be heard as clearly as it is seen, an interpretive center where silence, when needed, speaks volumes.
