Room acoustics at the Hofcafé of Aurachtal Alpacas in Abenberg
Project Data
Project:
Room acoustics in the Aurachtal Alpakas farm café
Location:
Abenberg, Roth district near Nuremberg
Use:
Farm café, groups, events and senior regulars' table
Service:
Acoustic consulting, planning and implementation
Implementation:
Round design absorbers, acoustically effective wall absorbers, acoustic pictures with individual custom motifs and a printed logo sound absorber
Goal:
Reduce reverberation, improve speech intelligibility and create a calmer atmosphere in the farm café
Less reverberation and better room acoustics in the café
Too noisy in the café or restaurant? If conversations become strenuous, guests drown each other out, and the noise level sharply increases even with just a few people, this is often due to the room acoustics.
In the farm café of Aurachtal Alpakas in Abenberg, in the Roth district near Nuremberg, this exact situation was noticeable. Reverberation, many simultaneous conversations, and events with music led to a high acoustic load. Especially with groups, senior regulars' tables, and musical events, the room quickly became loud and restless.
The Aurachtal Alpakas in Abenberg are a special destination in the Roth district near Nuremberg – easily accessible from Roth, Schwabach, Nuremberg, Fürth, Erlangen, the Franconian Lake District, and other regions of Franconia. The operation includes a farm café that brings together guests, groups, events, and a regular senior regulars' table.
Amidst alpacas, a farm atmosphere, and café operations, a place for encounters, excursions, and shared time emerges. Precisely where many people like to gather, good room acoustics become particularly important.
Frankustika improved the room acoustics in the farm café with a combination of round design absorbers, acoustically effective wall absorbers, acoustic pictures with individual custom motifs, and a printed logo sound absorber. The solution reduces disruptive reverberation, improves intelligibility, and also integrates aesthetically into the farm café.
When a café reverberates and conversations become strenuous
In cafés, restaurants, and other gastronomically used spaces, many noises occur simultaneously. Guests converse at several tables, chairs are moved, dishes are placed, orders are taken, and during events, music is added.
If the room has many hard surfaces, these sounds are strongly reflected. Voices linger longer in the room, conversations overlap, and the entire dining area quickly becomes loud.
In the Aurachtal Alpakas farm café, this became particularly evident with multiple guests. As soon as people had to speak louder, the noise level in the entire room increased further. This created a typical acoustic upward spiral:
The worse conversations are understood, the louder people speak. The louder people speak, the more strenuous the room becomes.
Especially in gastronomy, this is a common problem. A café should remain lively, yet still be pleasant. Good room acoustics therefore do not mean silence, but better intelligibility, less reverberation, and a calmer atmosphere.
The initial situation in the Aurachtal Alpakas farm café
The Aurachtal Alpakas are located at Dorfstraße 26 in 91183 Abenberg, in the Roth district near Nuremberg. The business includes a farm café, which is used for guests, groups, events, and a regularly held senior regulars' table.
Before the acoustic optimization, the high noise level was noticeable even with a few guests. Older guests, in particular, sometimes had to speak louder to understand each other. This further amplified the volume in the room.
The operator describes the former situation as follows:
“It was very loud even with a few guests. When older people were there who had to speak a bit louder because they were harder of hearing, it was very noticeable in the room.”
During events with music, the acoustic load became even more evident. Music, conversations, and typical café noises mingled. This made the situation particularly strenuous for guests and staff.
“When music was playing, it was extremely loud. It was also strenuous for the staff.”
The task was therefore clear: the reverberation in the café had to be reduced, speech intelligibility improved, and the room made more pleasant for guests and the team.
Goal: Reduce reverberation and improve the quality of stay
The goal of the project was not to make the farm café quiet or unnaturally muted. The room should remain lively. At the same time, the acoustics should be improved so that conversations are more pleasant and noises no longer build up so strongly in the room.
The room acoustic optimization had to meet several requirements:
- less reverberation in the dining area,
- better intelligibility in conversations,
- less mutual overpowering,
- calmer atmosphere with multiple guests,
- reduced acoustic burden for staff,
- more pleasant room feeling during events with music,
- design integration into the farm café,
- individual motifs matching the Aurachtal Alpakas.
For this, Frankustika developed a solution that combines functional sound absorbers with individual design.
The solution: Sound absorbers, design absorbers, and acoustic pictures
To improve room acoustics, various acoustically effective elements were used. This allowed the required absorption surface to be sensibly distributed in the room and at the same time integrated into the design.
The following were used:
- round design absorbers and wall absorbers from the Frankustika ESSENZ line,
- acoustically effective elements with 100 cm and 50 cm diameter,
- KUNIGUNDE Canva acoustic pictures with individual custom motifs,
- an individually printed logo sound absorber with 115 cm diameter.
The combination of round acoustic elements, printed acoustic pictures, and a large logo absorber makes the acoustic measure an integral part of the room design.
Thus, room acoustics were not simply technically added, but visibly integrated into the farm café.
Round design absorbers as wall absorbers
An important part of the solution were round acoustic elements from the Frankustika ESSENZ line. Elements with 100 cm and 50 cm diameter were used.
These elements can also be used as ceiling baffles. In the Aurachtal Alpakas farm café, however, they were specifically used as wall absorbers. This allowed free wall space to be utilized without disturbing the existing room concept.
The round shapes appear softer and more design-oriented than classic rectangular sound absorbers. Especially in cafés, restaurants, and lounges, such design absorbers are useful if acoustic measures can remain visible but should not appear technical or disruptive.
The different diameters create a lively wall image. At the same time, the absorbers bring additional acoustically effective surface into the room. Incoming sound is partially absorbed, reflections are reduced, and reverberation decreases.
Acoustic pictures with custom motifs
In addition to the round wall absorbers, KUNIGUNDE Canva acoustic pictures with individual custom motifs were used in the farm café.
Acoustic pictures are particularly suitable when room design and sound absorption are to be combined. They look like wall art but also serve an acoustic function. This makes them particularly suitable for gastronomy, hotels, reception areas, doctor's offices, offices, and lounges.
In the Aurachtal Alpakas farm café, motifs that fit the business and the atmosphere of the place were used. This makes the acoustic pictures appear not arbitrary, but personal and authentic.
The pictures fulfill two tasks simultaneously:
They improve room acoustics and design the room.
This is a significant advantage, especially for café and restaurant operators. Acoustic measures do not have to look like technical components. They can be integrated into the existing design concept as acoustic pictures, wall absorbers, or individually printed sound absorbers.
Individually printed logo sound absorber
A special eye-catcher in the farm café is the large round logo sound absorber with a 115 cm diameter.
The Aurachtal Alpakas logo was printed directly onto the absorber. This made an acoustically effective surface also usable for visible corporate identity.
The printed logo absorber combines three functions:
- sound absorption,
- room design,
- brand presence.
Instead of hanging an additional sign on the wall, the logo was directly integrated into the acoustic solution. The round absorber thus appears as an integral part of the room concept.
This solution can be particularly interesting for gastronomy, hotels, businesses, practices, or reception areas. Logos, custom motifs, regional images, or personal photographs can be applied to acoustically effective surfaces.
Thus, a necessary acoustic measure becomes an individual design element.
The result: better intelligibility and calmer atmosphere
After the installation of the acoustic elements, the difference was clearly perceived in the farm café.
Conversations feel more pleasant, voices overlap less, and the room feels calmer. Even with multiple guests present, the same acoustic burden as before no longer arises.
The operator describes the result as follows:
“You hardly notice that people are sitting in the room, it's so pleasant when they are talking. You can't compare it with before at all.”
This feedback shows what good room acoustics in gastronomy are all about: A café remains lively, but conversations become less strenuous. The room does not feel silent, but more pleasant.
Positive feedback from the senior regulars' table
The reaction of the regularly held senior regulars' table was particularly telling. The regulars were well aware of the previous acoustic situation and noticed the improvement immediately.
“Our regulars, who are here every Wednesday, are completely thrilled. They no longer have to speak so loudly. It's totally pleasant and much quieter.”
Especially for older people, reverberation can be a big problem. When multiple voices are reflected in the room simultaneously, speech becomes harder to understand. This requires conversations to be louder, which further increases the noise level.
Better room acoustics therefore not only support comfort but also communication and participation in conversations.
Relief for guests and staff
In gastronomy, poor room acoustics affect not only guests. Staff are also exposed to the noise level for extended periods.
Orders, inquiries, and internal arrangements must remain intelligible. If the room echoes strongly, voices repeatedly have to be raised. This can add to the burden of daily work.
The acoustic improvement in the farm café therefore supports several goals:
- guests can converse more pleasantly,
- conversations are better understood,
- the noise level increases less sharply,
- music and voices sound more controlled,
- staff are acoustically relieved,
- the quality of stay increases,
- the room design remains individual and fitting.
Collaboration with Frankustika
The Aurachtal Alpakas became aware of Frankustika at Consumenta. Subsequently, coordination was straightforward via phone and email.
In addition to the initial acoustic situation, design wishes were also taken into account. These included the selection of custom motifs for the acoustic pictures and the implementation of the directly printed logo sound absorber.
Co-operator Markus Enßner describes the collaboration as follows:
“Totally uncomplicated – via phone and email. Scheduling and the entire process were very easy.”
The recommendation is also clear:
“The result is great. Definitely recommended for acoustics.”
Frequently asked questions about room acoustics in cafés, restaurants, and gastronomy
Why does a café get loud so quickly?
A café quickly becomes loud if there are many hard surfaces and sound is strongly reflected. Conversations, music, dishes, and chair movements then remain audible in the room for longer. This causes noises to overlap and guests automatically speak louder.
What helps against reverberation in a restaurant or café?
Acoustically effective surfaces such as wall absorbers, ceiling baffles, sound absorbers, or acoustic pictures help against reverberation. They absorb some of the sound and reduce disturbing reflections. Which solution is sensible depends on room size, use, surfaces, and design.
Are acoustic pictures suitable for gastronomy?
Acoustic pictures are particularly suitable for gastronomy, cafés, restaurants, and hotels because they combine room design and sound absorption. They can be designed with custom motifs, photographs, or suitable visual themes and thus appear less technical than classic absorbers.
Can sound absorbers be printed with a logo?
Yes, sound absorbers can be individually printed depending on the design. Logos, custom motifs, or personal images can be printed directly onto acoustically effective surfaces. This creates a design element that simultaneously improves room acoustics. But not every acoustic picture has the same effect. It depends on the values.
Are wall absorbers or ceiling baffles better?
Whether wall absorbers or ceiling baffles are better suited depends on the room. Wall absorbers utilize free wall surfaces and can have a strong design impact. Ceiling baffles are particularly suitable when ceiling surfaces are available or wall surfaces are insufficient. Often, a combination is sensible.
Does a café have to be quiet after acoustic optimization?
No. A café should remain lively. The goal is not complete silence, but less disturbing reverberation, better intelligibility, and a more pleasant atmosphere.
Room acoustics for gastronomy in the Roth district and the Nuremberg area
The project at Aurachtal Alpakas shows how room acoustics, design, and corporate identity can be combined.
Frankustika develops acoustic solutions for cafés, restaurants, hotels, canteens, lounges, event rooms, and other gastronomically used spaces. This is not about standard solutions, but about planning appropriate to the room, its use, and the desired appearance.
Typical questions include:
- Why is the dining area so loud?
- How can reverberation be reduced?
- Which sound absorbers fit the interior?
- Are acoustic pictures or design absorbers sensible?
- Can logos or custom motifs be integrated?
- Which solution fits the budget?
Based on this, acoustic solutions are created that are audibly effective and visibly fit the room.
Room acoustics begins not with the product, but with the room, its use, and the people who occupy it.