CASSIOPEIA

About the Project
Cassiopeia has been a club and concert venue on the RAW site in Berlin-Friedrichshain since 2005. It hosts concerts, parties and a range of different music events.

Initial Situation
Cassiopeia had several weaknesses in its sound insulation. In the large concert room, the wall surfaces and the exterior door facing the RAW site in particular allowed sound and vibrations to be transmitted into the building structure. The ventilation outlet and the windows on the first floor were also problematic from an acoustic point of view.
The smaller concert room also needed improvements to the wall surfaces, the door leading outside, and the ventilation and extraction systems.

Measures

1. Sound Absorption in the Large Concert Room
The wall surfaces behind the stage and facing the sound system were fitted with absorbers specially designed for the room, including absorbers that can absorb low-frequency sound. In addition, an insulated secondary wall lining was installed in front of the wall facing the RAW site.

2. Soundproofing of Doors and Ventilation
The exterior door facing the RAW site was replaced with a soundproof door, and the existing soundproofing vestibule was improved. A soundproofing vestibule was also installed around the ventilation outlet.

3. Directional Sound System
A directional sound system specifically adapted to the room was installed in the large concert room. This directs the sound more precisely towards the audience and keeps the sound more focused within the room.

4. Measures in the Small Concert Room
The wall facing the sound system was fitted with a full-surface sound absorber. In addition, a soundproof door leading outside and soundproofing vestibules for the smoke and heat extraction system and the ventilation and extraction system were installed. The sound system was realigned and acoustically measured.

5. Soundproofing on the First Floor
An existing window area on the first floor, which represented a significant weak point, was bricked up.

Result
The measures led to a significant reduction in sound emissions. The directional sound system focuses the sound more precisely on the audience. It also makes it possible to hold events in the large concert room at lower sound pressure levels. According to the project report, there have been no further complaints since the measures were implemented. The neighborhood and the adjacent office building also reported a significant improvement.
A further soundproof door that had originally been planned could not be installed due to delivery delays. Instead, additional absorbers were installed to provide even better protection against vibrations being transmitted to the building structure.