Acoustics are the icing on the cake at Restaurant Gastro

It is early Friday afternoon and the worst of the lunchtime rush is over. But there are still plenty of guests in the restaurant, enjoying the delicious trout with fennel cooked in lemon, with a medley of cabbage, mussel and parsley foam. Like the food, the restaurant interior breathes quality in the smallest detail. The former bank premises have ceilings that are five to six metres high, wood panelling on the walls, and large windows that look out over the bustling Järnvägsgatan, diagonally opposite the railway station in Helsingborg. In other words, it has all the ingredients for a really lousy sound environment where the carefully elicited flavours of the food are overwhelmed by reflected sounds that jar the ears, as guests shout louder and louder to make themselves heard.

But this is not the case. Pleasant music filters down from the ceiling, masking the chatter of other guests, but without feeling intrusive or loud. I can barely make out a single word of the conversations from the tables around me. When Per Dahlberg, owner of Gastro, sits at the table, we can talk easily without having to lean across the table to catch what each other is saying.

- The quality of sound in a restaurant is important. We are in the fine-dining area, where the atmosphere can easily become tense and almost silent. This is why it is important to find a middle ground in the sound environment so people feel comfortable and enjoy being here, explains Per.

Three sound zones

In fact, Gastro has not just found a single middle ground. Right from the start the restaurant was designed to be divided into three different zones, each acoustically designed to suit its purpose perfectly:

• A bar with basic table seating and a mezzanine level. Here, there are sound absorbers on the ceiling and to a limited extent on the walls. This is a sound environment that allows the sound level to rise and persist in the room, helping to create a party mood, without being uncomfortably noisy.
• The restaurant area, separated from the bar by an open kitchen where guests can see dishes being created. In addition to sound absorbers on the ceiling, wall absorbers are incorporated in the wall panelling that extends a couple of metres up the walls. This ensures a relaxed and comfortable sound environment in which everyone can hear and be heard while talking, while the background music sets the tone without being intrusive.
• The banquet room for individual groups and parties. Here, the entire ceiling and all the walls are clad with sound absorbers. Even when there are 70 people in the room everyone can chat easily.

Consider acoustics right from the start

- To create a good sound environment it is important to have it in mind right from the start, when you start sketching and planning. It’s no good realising after the design is complete that you need to do something about the sound,  says Per.

Niklas Madsen, from Superlab design and architectural agency, agrees on the importance of planning and getting the acoustics right from the start.

- That way you can design the sound environment instead of having to find a solution to a problem later. Apart from the use of sound absorbers, the entire premises have been designed with sound in mind. The reason for separating the bar from the restaurant, by placing the kitchen between them, is to achieve the best possible sound environment.

- We did not want to create a large open-plan space, as it would not have worked acoustically, says Niklas Madsen.

Like an archaeological dig

The adventure of converting the lavish old banking premises, most recently used as a book shop, into a top restaurant, began six years ago. Per Dahlberg had been looking for new premises where he could grow and develop Gastro. Niklas Madsen told him about the premises and was commissioned to produce a concept and design the interior. It would prove to be a long and drawn-out process.

- The more we explored and began removing the layers, the more we found. In the banquet room, for example, there were two old ceilings above the existing one.

The ceiling in the restaurant area had also been lowered considerably and the window arches were boarded over. The building has a lot of cultural heritage and the city’s historic buildings inspector had to be consulted on every change.

- It was like an archaeological dig. We found stucco decoration, floors, ceilings and even rooms we didn’t know existed. It took us two and half years after we found the premises. The more we peeled away, the worse the acoustics became. When everything was laid bare we realised we would have a horrible sound problem if we just took the usual approach. That’s why we brought in Ecophon at an early stage, before we started on the layout and interior design.

Concealed sound absorbers in walls

The aim was to restore as much as possible of the original interior. For example, the bar is in the same location as the old bank reception desk. The wood panelling was recreated from the original drawings. But it is not identical to the original panelling in all respects.

Ecophon explained that the sound absorbers must be at the same height as speech takes place, in other words at seated height, to be effective. We then asked if it was possible to get the absorbers in the same colour as the wood panels and if they could be integrated into the panelling. They said yes. I don’t think anyone realises that the panels are actually sound absorbers. They blend in completely, says Niklas.

There is no arguing the fact; from a distance it looks like traditional wood panelling. On closer examination you can see that the panels have a textured surface. But even so, few people would make the connection that this is a sound-absorbing surface. And before they make the connection, guests’ attention is likely to have returned to the food, drink and company.

- This enabled us to ‘hide’ just how many sound absorbers we needed, explains Niklas.

He stresses that it is not simply a matter of covering the walls with sound absorbers.

- If you overdo it, the end result can become almost unsettling. You have to get the right balance so that the sound feels completely natural and you do not even notice it. I think we’ve succeeded in doing that.

Award for sound environment

Niklas Madsen and Per Dahlberg are not alone in that belief. In 2019, Gastro received the Swedish Acoustical Society’s Sound Environment Award.

- Ensuring that our staff have a good working environment is just as important for me as ensuring that guests enjoy their experience. Even though they probably won’t notice it, he laughs, adding:

- But that’s the way it is with the sound environment. You only notice it when it’s bad.

Gastro can now add the Sound Environment Award to all its gastronomic awards, which include Sweden’s Best Restaurants, Restaurateur of the Year and a place in the White Guide. Perhaps it will be the sound environment that gives it that final extra point if and when Per Dahlberg goes for the big one – a place in the Michelin Guide.

- It’s never been an outright goal. Maybe I felt it was just too pretentious. But now we are refining things a notch, so we’ll see. I would be lying if I said it’s not something I would like to achieve.

Text: Lars Wirtén