Vangelis Koufoudakis

Vangelis provides consultancy on all aspects of room acoustic design and planning, sound separation, and noise and vibration design for the performing arts.  

At Charcoalblue, I provide consultancy on all aspects of room acoustic design and planning, sound separation, and noise and vibration design for the performing arts, mentorship to the Acoustics Team, and support to winning new work.

As acoustic consultants, we provide a specialized perspective on the built environment, but our work is deeply integrated with other disciplines. We establish structural stiffness and weight criteria, coordinate with façade engineers to mitigate external noise, and advise services engineers on equipment placement, air delivery, and vibration control. Through our work, we endeavour to build performance spaces that sound as good as they look. I’d like to say that I approach my work with gusto!I’m an avid gig-goer and a self-proclaimed defender of the dancefloor, so helping build quality performance spaces that are loved by audience and performers alike is not only a dream job, but something that I take personally.

A Project That Shaped How You Work

If I had to chose one project from the past 11 years working for Charcoalblue, it would have to be Sadler’s Wells East, purely on account that I continuously worked on it between 2016 and 2025! There are many ways that working on this -quite acoustically demanding- project made me a better acoustician, but the biggest lesson learned is that for projects that seem to go on forever, not dropping the ball during the construction phase is what really saves the day.

What You Hope People Feel in a Space You’ve Worked On

It could be said that good acoustic design is invisible, but bad acoustic design is impossible to ignore – so in that, I hope that people visiting a venue I’ve worked on can fully appreciate the artistic effort of the performance they’re attending, and that they’ll be free from distractions from noise or other unwanted acoustic artefacts.

What We Won’t Learn from Your CV

Music has been a big part of my life from the tender age of 6 – something not uncommon amongst the ranks of acoustic designers worldwide, I’ve learned. Following attempts to be classically schooled in piano and guitar, I used to play the drums for a couple of underground bands while living in Greece, and I’ve been dabbling in electronic music production since I moved to the UK in 2010, purely for my own enjoyment!

Cultural Value You Most Identify With

The single Charcoalblue cultural value I most identify with is Professional Excellence, as when it’s all said and done, it’s the quality of the finished project that’s the best indicator of the quality of our service, and what makes it all worthwhile! Having said that, and as much as I aspire to provide with a service that brings all of Charcoalblue’s cultural values into play, I have in many occasions been humbled by the fact that what is often most appreciated by our external collaborators is nothing other than my timely response to their queries(!) – so I guess Communication would have to be a close second.