Mills Reef Winery - Novahush Installation

DATE: August, 2012

The award winning Mills Reef Winery, located in Bethlehem, Tauranga, have recently upgraded their Barrel Room facility which is used for conferences, shows and private functions.

This superb 600m² space, located in the basement of the winery, had encountered one major drawback; there was an issue with acoustics due to reverberations with the concrete walls and floor. Ross Morris of Forman Building Systems Rotorua headed this project in conjunction with Mills Reef and Forman Commercial Interiors, Rotorua, as the contractor.

The goal was to use a product that could absorb most the echo while not detracting from the ambience of the space. With the help of specialised acoustic reverberation calculations and costing options, Novahush Panel Absorber was chosen as the perfect candidate for this project due to its industrial look and superior acoustical performance.

A key challenge of this project was that the existing ceiling had foam insulation installed which was necessary to maintain the thermal performance of the room. While this meant that minimal penetrations could be made, the Novahush Panel cloud design meant that very little damage was done to the existing ceiling. Other challenges on this project included tight schedules and access to the function room while not in use.

The end result is a space that is fit for all function types, not only with beautiful aesthetics but high performing acoustics as well.