Yeni Yerleşke Projesi

Yeni Yerleşke Projesi: A Dome’s Double-Edged Sword

Designing acoustics for a dome-shaped hall requires balancing beauty with functionality. The Main Hall’s dome, while visually impressive, is a concave surface that can act like a giant satellite dish for sound. Curved ceilings naturally tend to concentrate and reflect sound waves to specific points, creating areas of overly loud sound and other areas where sound drops off. In an untreated state, a clap or raised voice under the dome could ricochet and return as a distinct echo. Moreover, the sheer volume of the hall (with its high ceiling and ample space) meant sound could linger, leading to a reverberation time far above what’s comfortable for clear speech. For an auditorium meant to host speeches and discussions, this was a critical issue – intelligibility would suffer if every word bounced around the room.

Another challenge was maintaining the hall’s clean, modern aesthetic. Traditional acoustic fixes (like hanging baffles or visible acoustic panels) were off the table since they would detract from the minimalist elegance of the dome and wall design. The project demanded a solution that would vanish into the architecture – essentially improving acoustics without anyone noticing any change in the hall’s appearance. Finally, given the dome’s height and size, the installation itself needed to be meticulously planned for safety and effectiveness, all under local project management.

The Solution: Seamlessly Sound-Absorptive Surfaces

We addressed the challenge by installing our Straight Up seamless acoustic plaster system across the dome and the upper wall sections of the hall. This approach significantly reduces echoes while keeping the interior design intact:

High-Performance Acoustic Layer: We fitted the dome’s interior with a layer of specialized mineral wool acoustic boards, selected for their excellent sound absorption. These boards, when combined with the Straight Up plaster finish, give the treated surfaces a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of ~0.90, meaning they absorb the vast majority of incident sound. By covering the broad expanse of the dome and high walls, we effectively turned those formerly reflective surfaces into sound-absorbing ones, dramatically shortening the reverberation in the hall.
Invisible Integration: Over the acoustic boards, our team applied Straight Up acoustical plaster to create a smooth, continuous finish. Once cured , this plastered surface is indistinguishable from the original drywall or concrete finish. The dome retains its pristine white, unsegmented look – there are no visible panels or seams. This was crucial to meet the design requirement; the hall’s interior visuals remain clean and uninterrupted, with the acoustic treatment completely hidden in plain sight.
Local Expertise and Execution: The on-site installation was expertly project-managed by our Turkish representative, M Arti Yapi. Under M Arti Yapi’s coordination, the acoustic materials were installed without incident. The team ensured that the application methods were non-intrusive to the building structure and adhered to local building standards. Additionally, all materials used are fire-safe (Class A per ASTM E84) and durable, aligning with stringent safety requirements for public venues.

Outcome: A Hall Poised for Purpose

Thanks to the acoustic enhancements, the Yeni Yerleşke Main Hall now sounds as refined as it looks. The anticipated-problematic echoes under the dome have been eliminated – applause no longer turns into a lingering cacophony, and a presenter’s voice doesn’t get lost in a blur. Instead, sound in the hall is clear and evenly distributed, whether it’s a single speaker at a podium or a panel discussion. This improved clarity means that during conferences or seminars, attendees can hear every word effortlessly, even in the back rows. At the same time, the hall still preserves enough natural reverberance to give music or ceremonial events a pleasing richness.

Importantly, all these acoustic benefits come with no visible change to the venue’s interior. Visitors walking into the auditorium see the impressive dome overhead and sleek wall surfaces. The acoustic treatment is essentially invisible, which validates the project’s guiding principle: modernizing performance while respecting the design. The campus administrators have noted that the hall’s acoustics are now well-suited for the wide range of functions it will host, from scholarly gatherings to cultural presentations. In other words, the space now truly meets the high expectations set for this national hub of culture and learning.

By tackling the dome’s acoustic challenges, Styjl (in partnership with M Arti Yapi) helped ensure that this signature hall fulfills its role as a premier congress and culture center for the new campus. The Yeni Yerleşke Projesi showcases how thoughtful acoustic engineering can elevate a grand architectural space into a fully functional venue, ready to support Turkey’s academic and cultural endeavors for decades to come. This outcome not only honors Atatürk’s vision of a world-class institution but also exemplifies our company’s mission of delivering “Total Design Freedom” – where innovative sound solutions harmonize perfectly with architectural ambition.

Yeni Yerleşke Projesi