Located in Hangzhou near Xixi National Wetland Park, SHY Table is a 750 m² restaurant designed by STUDIO8 Architects around a deliberately restrained brand identity: introversion, truth, low profile and quietude. The project converted an existing office structure into a two-level hospitality venue, with the principal dining spaces and outdoor garden at ground level and a bar and dining area below ground. The architectural concept uses selective enclosure, curved and angled walls, full-height drapes, warm lighting and a refined palette of concrete, micro-cement, stone, metal and other hard finishes. Within these open volumes, restaurant acoustics were essential to support the calm atmosphere intended by the design. The challenge was to control indoor reverberation and anticipate possible noise issues across areas with different uses and sound levels, while ensuring that every acoustic element remained visually discreet and compatible with the clean interior language. The acoustic solution therefore had to work as part of the architecture, rather than as a separate technical layer.
Delhom Acoustics provided the acoustic treatment strategy for the restaurant, with the mission of controlling indoor reverberation on both levels while preserving the atmosphere created by STUDIO8 Architects. The treatment was coordinated with the interior and architectural design and adapted to the different acoustic needs of the dining spaces and basement bar. Delhom’s published project information identifies three principal interventions: ceiling flocking/sound-absorbing spray, a microperforated baffle treatment associated with the skylight, and acoustic wall panels. Published architectural information also lists sound-absorbing felt and sound-absorbing spray among the main project materials and notes that technical equipment at ceiling level was wrapped with sound-absorbing material and discreetly integrated beneath the beam. Material selection was therefore a key part of the acoustic approach: the objective was not only to introduce absorption, but to integrate it cleanly into ceilings, walls, skylight details and service zones so that acoustic performance and interior design could be developed together.
The acoustic strategy was incorporated into the completed architecture on both floors, supporting SHY Table’s objective of offering a quiet, restrained and carefully curated dining experience. By integrating absorptive treatments into the ceiling, skylight, walls and technical zones, the project addresses reverberation and helps reduce the risk of excessive noise build-up in the open restaurant and basement bar. The approach also allows different sound areas to coexist while maintaining the visual continuity of the design: the acoustic elements remain part of the material composition instead of reading as added technical products. This is particularly relevant in a hospitality project where sound quality contributes directly to comfort, conversation and the perception of atmosphere. Delhom’s contribution shows how restaurant acoustics can be coordinated with architecture from the material-selection stage to support both acoustic needs and brand identity. The available project information does not provide measured reverberation times, final test values or certification targets, so no quantified performance claim is included in this draft pending confirmation by the project team.
