Far too frequently clubs/bars just have the contractor that did the
build-out also do any "acoustical treatment" which means they put something
soft where it won't do any good, or don't bother. Try being in the local P F
Changs, built to their specs. Not a soft surface anywhere. It meets the
newer standards of being noisy because people (oh, alright, younger people)
are said to perceive noisy places as "High Energy Happening Places That They
Need to Be At!" I see the same idea going into the club area now.
Just imagine, a noisier place where it is even easier to get serious hearing
damage. Oh well, less to burn.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Norton
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 10:58 AM
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] Photo of RED Band in concert - HOT
> This the kind of thing that burned the nightclub in Brazil?
Different situation, entirely. The sound absorption material here is
not flammable. And there are substantial safety precautions including
fire department personnel standing by. It's also a huge arena built
several years ago with the design-spec for pyrotechnics. (I know,
because as an acoustical contractor, I saw the RFP for the acoustical
treatment).
I've done quite a few acoustical control projects through the years
and know that the vast majority of nightclub venues are anything but
safe. This is a GLOBAL problem. I can go into rant mode on this, but
just consider this:
More nightclubs than not are owned and/or operated by people who have
no problem with operating outside the law. Fire code violations are
mostly addressed not by fixing the problem but by "fixing" the
problem. Instead of spending $30,000 for proper fire-resistant
acoustical treatment, they spend $5,000 and pay off the inspector
$5,000 to make it go away.
Let me give everybody a little hint here: If you go into a place that
has the triangle-foam acoustical treatment on the ceiling and walls
and there are pyrotechnics, get out of there NOW. Even the treated
stuff will ignite. After a year, there is so much dust and other
organic matter in the foam that it's flammable. Very similar to a
sugar cube. Try lighting a sugar cube on fire. It won't. However, take
a burned out match and scratch the ash onto the cube and try again. It
like candle up very nicely!
The heavy curtains used for venues and stages is chemically treated.
The old wool curtains were naturally fire-retardant, but modern
synthetics aren't. These are chemically treated. Again, just like the
sugar cube, it only takes an accumulation of matter in the fabric to
defeat it.
What about the black paint used on the ceilings and metal structures?
Yup. Flammable. What about the dust layer sitting on everything up
there? Yup. Flammable. Of course, the biggest issue is the 'flash
over". The smoke that is rising up from the flame contains an amount
of unspent fuel. When the temperature exceeds a certain temperature
and the air-fuel ratio is just right, the entire ceiling will
instantly turn to flames.
I'm sure Paul will pipe in here with further comment as he also works
the music/entertainment industry, but generally speaking, there is a
difference in ways facilities are acoustically treated and how
management looks upon safety precautions. In a show like RED's, in a
facility like this, there is a maximum amount of duty cycle for the
flames. I shot a lot of pictures to get just one or two that had all
the units lit up at once. It's the roman candle style fireworks which
are generally the most dangerous.
In my experience, I've been in places that I instantly knew were
fire-traps. I either have immediately turned around and walked out or
requested a seat in a place with a quick and easy exit. In more than
one occasion, that place was later destroyed by fire. Some places you
just "know" aren't right. It's also a pretty safe bet that if the
ceiling doesn't look safe, chances are the ice machine isn't safe.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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