Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery, Science Museum

The Science Museum has recently opened Technicians: The David Sainsbury Gallery, which required vital acoustic design for this first-of-its-kind immersive exhibition. The gallery hosts a wide range of interactive displays with audio playback, set inside a spaceframe structure designed by JAC studios.

We were presented with a brief to provide localised acoustic interventions that promote speech intelligibility and enhance visitors’ experience, with a key focus on sustainability. After extensive research, we selected recycled PET fibre behind perforated valchromat panels, ensuring a high acoustic performance, a limited equivalent carbon cost, and a safe and durable material for use in a public space, all whilst keeping a relatively slim profile to meet the demands of the spaceframe design.

The project posed further design challenges with the Science Museum’s brief stipulating that the existing building should not be touched. As such, all acoustic finishes had to be highly localised to the spaceframe structure.

We were delighted to work on this project, with its deep collaboration with curators and exhibition designers, offered a unique design opportunity.