Project Type: Worship

First Baptist Church of Glenarden
Upper Marlboro, MD
Architect: HH Architects

The First Baptist Church of Glenarden, constructed in 2006, seats over 4,000 parishioners. Metropolitan Acoustics was involved in all aspects of acoustical design for the project.

We conducted a detailed room acoustic analysis of the Sanctuary including EASE modeling and provided recommendations for appropriate finishes. We determined that a reverberation time of 1.5 seconds was ideal for this space to balance the conflicting requirements for amplified and non-amplified music. Meeting our design goal in the 1.5 million cubic foot space required over 14,000 square feet of acoustic panels. Additionally, we recommended splayed side walls to help diffuse sound in the fan-shaped room. In addition to analyzing the Sanctuary, we provided room acoustics recommendations for music rehearsal rooms, the control room and editing room, the voiceover booth, the narthex, the great hall, the skybox, the camera rooms and classrooms in the education wing.

Our interior isolation analysis considered walls between spaces, floor/ceiling assemblies, and operable partitions. We recommended an isolation ceiling above the finance office to isolate it from subwoofers located under the stape in the sanctuary. Additionally, we provided recommendations to reduce rainfall noise transmitted through the roof.

We were also responsible for controlling mechanical system noise in each of the aforementioned spaces. We recommended banks of silencers, heavy gauge sheet metal and duct lining to meet stringent background sound level design goals and minimize sound transmitted between spaces via the ductwork.

Beyond the design phase we performed construction site visits to verify that our recommendations were correctly installed.