Transforming a barn into a music studio? The challenge taken up by Maurizio
Metal musician for 25 years, Maurizio, bass player of the band Tardigrad, plays every day at home, in the old renovated farmhouse that he lives with his family in the commune of Anhée, near Florennes. He explains to us why he chose the hemp block to acoustically insulate his barn, which has become a repetition room.

A barn turned into a music room

Maurizio has lived on this farm for over 10 years, but he had never before found a solution to insulate his barn. "It's a room in the attic, which creates an additional strain on the impact noise," he explains. As his children sleep in the next room, high-quality sound insulation was necessary.

"When I discovered the characteristics of the hemp blocks, I was very surprised. It was exactly what I needed to renovate this room and turn it into a real music studio. »

Do hemp blocks offer good sound insulation? 

Hemp blocks offer a double advantage to musicians: they provide effective sound insulation and also regulate the room's humidity, which is an important asset for the conservation of instruments. "My drums, my bass and my electric guitar can remain permanently installed, I know that they are stored in optimal conservation conditions. "says Maurizio.

Acoustic


The structure of the hemp blocks makes them excellent acoustic insulators: they dampen and absorb noise.

Sound attenuation index: Rw from 37 to 45dB 

Sound absorption coefficient: 0.85

 

Hygrometry


The hemp blocks regulate the humidity thanks to their permeability to water vapour. They act as a water buffer and provide a constant and healthy indoor climate that allows an ideal safe storage of musical instruments.

Concretely, how did it happen?

To renovate his attic himself, Maurizio used the 9 cm thick Isohemp blocks (PAL09) "It's an easy solution, because it's an all-in-one material. I followed the instructions and watched a tutorial, and within a few weekends I had insulated my room. Then I just painted the blocks without coating them to make the most of the acoustic structure of the material".

  • Floor insulation: 9cm hemp blocks
  • Wall insulation: 9cm hemp blocks + 3cm filling of HempBag hemp and ProKalk lime mixture to make up for the plumbing in the walls of this old barn.
  • Final coating: paint

What's the result?

The barn has been transformed into a beautiful space dedicated to music, with no noise pollution for the occupants of the house, allowing Maurizio to rehearse more intensively at any time of the day. "I can now play Metal when the children are asleep! They can't hear more than the level of a radio that is working in the next room," the musician says. The acoustic comfort in the room also surprised Maurizio: "Since the noise is absorbed, the sound quality is exceptional. I now make live sound recordings during repetitions. »

Finally, even more than a music room, the barn has become a real living space. "It is a pleasant and sunny room. The children also love to meet there to learn music and it has become a family place, a refuge. We even have jam sessions with neighbours and friends. »

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