In Bank of America’s ATM vestibules, hard surfaces abound. Walls, floors, and ceilings are all nonporous (and in some cases, even glossy) materials. With the introduction of ATMs that allow voice communication, acoustic considerations are paramount. The reverberation time of a sound wave is the amount of time it takes for sound to dissipate and lengthy reverberation times allow sounds to build up and conflict with one another. The mean sound reverberation time of a typical ATM vestibule was two seconds, meaning sound was garbled and distractions plentiful, whereas an optimal reverberation time is somewhere around 0.6 second.
By covering twenty-seven percent of the ceiling surface area in custom stem-mounted Akustika 25 Suspended, the reverberation time was reduced by seventy percent. These custom Akustika 25 Suspended panels feature sixty percent recycled content acoustic PET material with felt flushed mounted to one side. In addition to sound absorption, these panels offer a branding opportunity by being cut to a simplified version of the Bank of America logo in red and blue felt. These modular panels are custom stem-mounted in order to avoid HVAC vents and security cameras. In addition, sprinkler heads are lowered and penetrated through a handful of Akustika panels and painted to match the red felt.
