Aldeburgh Music Cafe

Troldtekt acoustic panels have been used to great effect in the design of the Music Cafe at the famous Aldeburgh Music development at Snape Maltings at Snape in the UK.

This is the home of the world famous Concert Hall. The Aldeburgh Festival has been running since 1948. It is operated by Aldeburgh Music, creators of a diverse programme of music which operates throughout the year. It was founded by composers Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears in derelict industrial buildings on the bleak east Suffolk coast which look out over the reed-beds of the marshes and beyond to the North Sea.

The Music Cafe, part of architects Haworth Tompkins' phased extension of the creative campus, has been designed by converting a former granary store into a cafe and reception point for artists and staff. In order to reduce noise reverberation, the architects have used 160m2 of fine natural wood Troldtekt panels to create an attractive and high performance acoustic pitched ceiling. The panels were also chosen as the ideal material to complement the rustic charm of the old building with its brick and timber construction.

This project completes the working environment by connecting the main concert hall back of house facilities with the Britten Pears Music School and the Dovecote studio.

“This is a real master class in the creative act of refurbishment, where the architects are very consciously selecting and evaluating the remaining fabric of a historic building,’ said the judges for the annual Crown Estate Conservation Award organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects. The project also received a UK Civic Trust Award.