Our Work
Specialty Wood Ceilings & Walls
Dimillo’s On the Water-Restaurant & Lounge
Specialty wooden ceilings and walls are what we are known for, and Dimillo’s was no exception to the rule. We take pride in our lasting relationships in our local community, so when we were recommended to be the acoustical contractors at one of the most well-known restaurants in Portland, the project was a no-brainer! To capture the ambiance of the floating lounge and restaurant, we used dark Cherry wood finished grilles to seamlessly blend with the ceiling suspension system. As we usually use lasers to level our ceilings perfectly, working on a boat made us use an old-school approach that only the Design Acoustics specialty team could accomplish.
121 MIDDLE An Urban Inn – Downtown Portland
121 MIDDLE an urban inn project was a high-end commercial job for our long-time client East Brown Cow Management of luxury apartments nestled into the Entertainment District of Downtown Portland. This project required custom wood-finished grille ceilings and walls in the hallways and entryways of each unit and floor. Due to the craftsmanship and detail-oriented specification of this job, Monaghan Woodworks was selected as the General Contractor of the project. Because of our reputation in specialty wood ceilings and walls and our long-lasting relationship with Monaghan we were ecstatic to be selected as the subcontractor for acoustical design.
At Design Acoustics we evolve with each of our projects. By doing so, we have experience in many different design styles. “121 MIDDLE an urban inn” exuded “sleek and ultra-modern” features and style-techniques that required every unit to have its own unique wooden-ceiling entryways. Our specialty team was able to accommodate and reconfigure architectural designs to perfect each room’s sophisticated style.
Perkins Thompson Law Firm – 9th Floor Of Two Canal Plaza
East Brown Cow Management has been one of our most faithful clients since the establishment of Design Acoustics Inc. As the Acoustical Contractor for nearly all their properties, we have done work on almost every floor in Two Canal Plaza. With the top floor being occupied by a major law firm in Portland, the ceiling renovation design had to be just as noteworthy. This installment was done with Armstrong Industries Woodwork Linear Veneer Planks with a Dark Cherry Finish to encapsulate the refined style of the space.
Navis Cafe – Downtown Portland
Restaurants often find themselves needing to elevate the acoustical value of their space in accordance with the atmosphere they are portraying. As acoustical contractors, we run into this dilemma often and always have a solution. Navis Cafe in the Old Port wanted a ceiling that reflected their nautical theme as well as a solution to eliminate noise. For this project, we used Linear Veneer planks in the Western Hemlock Dark Cherry Finish.
Metal Grid Ceilings
Yankee Ford & Marc Motors
Lay-in Grid ceilings are the “bread and butter” of our business. Not only are Grid-tile ceilings the most commonly used system in acoustical contracting, but it is also the most valuable when covering a large space that needs high NRC value. Both Yankee Ford in South Portland and Marc Motors in Sanford are car dealerships that required a large amount of square footage to be covered in ceilings that would help eliminate noise.
Aura Rock Club – Downtown Portland
Often when people hear the words “acoustical contractor” they think of the music industry: auditoriums, studios, and entertainment venues such as Aura Rock Club in the heart of the Old Port. This project was one of the more versatile in regards to acoustical systems used. Not only did we install a Lay-in Metal Grid Ceiling throughout the entire space, we also used felt covered acoustical panels around the stage and between levels to absorb sound.
Bangor Savings Bank – Fore St.
Bangor Savings Bank corporate offices on Fore Street in Downtown Portland was one of the many Bangor Saving Bank locations we have done throughout Maine. We often work as a subcontractor for Landry French Construction and together we created this space which had design elements ranging from basic metal grid ceilings to custom painted sound clouds throughout offices. In this feature, we used reveal tiles to help provide a sturdy suspension application for the lights in the foyer.
Specialty Suspended Ceilings & Baffles
Portland Volvo – South Portland
Portland Volvo is one of our most beautiful projects that reflects the contrast of a suspended wooden-grille ceiling against a classic clean lay-in grid ceiling. Portland Volvo dealership embodied classic acoustical design work that made for a subtle, yet high-end finish throughout the space.
Marc Motors – Sanford
Marc Motors dealership in Sanford was a project with many dimensions. This project contained one of the more unique suspended ceilings we have installed. Our specialty team was able to create a mechanism from the lay-in grid ceiling system above to suspend a speciality wooden-plank ceiling across the showroom of the dealership. We frequently come across suspended ceilings throughout our work, but completing the installation of this particular ceiling was an amazing feat due to its large size.
Town Of Cape Elizabeth Public Library
Frequently, acoustics play a pivotal role in many sectors, and educational institutions are where Design Acoustics has created a large portfolio of successful installations. We are proud to be chosen as the acoustical contractor throughout the community of Cape Elizabeth for many projects and The Thomas Memorial Library was another project in the community that exuded riveting acoustical elements throughout the entire space.
In the main lobby, we installed baffles directly to drywall to provide absorption in the noisiest area in the library. Not only did we include baffles in this design, but the installation of various sizes, shapes, and fabric colors of sound-absorbing wall panels across the entire space. We also used hanging sound clouds in study sections of the library as well as regular lay-in grid ceilings with the most high-end finishes.
Acoustical Design Panels & Clouds
Flight Deck, Brickyard, Rising Tide
According to the Brewers Association, Maine is nationally ranked #5 in the country for most breweries per capita. In this industry a lot of acoustical absorption is necessary because tasterooms are often built in industrial spaces with exposed foundations and walls there which have little to no acoustical value. Add the loud machinery and crowds of beer connoisseurs, and you can see why breweries have become a large industry for acoustical contractors.
Our first brewery Flight Deck Brewery in Brunswick wanted to be able to absorb noise in their space as well as adding elements that still reflected their industrial atmosphere. For this project we included circular sound clouds in grey tones and suspended rockwool baffles. After the success of Flight Deck we began featuring many of our acoustical design work in breweries across southern Maine.
Both Rising Tide Brewery in Portland and Brickyard Hollow Brewing featured custom sound clouds in a variety of spaces and colors to accentuate their desired design visions.
Bangor Savings Bank – Portland & Brunswick
Bangor Saving Bank locations in Downtown Portland and Brunswick incorporated custom sound clouds to enhance the sleek, modern and elegant design that is possible in a commercial space. Bangor Savings Bank in Downtown Portland wanted to have clouds suspended from their exposed industrial ceilings to have a modern twist on their corporate space. In the Brunswick location, sound clouds were suspended from the lay-in grid ceiling in a matching clean white finish to emphasize their elegant commercial space.
The Thomas Block – Downtown Portland
Thomas Block at 100 Commercial Street in the heart of the Portland Old Port is another property of East Brown Cow Management and we are very familiar with that building after many successful projects there. Lobbies are often places where we install design-oriented acoustical products like wall panels that are pleasing to anyone who enters the building and also function to absorb sound. The lobby at the Thomas Block had to represent the many amazing companies that reside there as well as honor the natural design elements of this historic building.
ARCH Global Precision – Arundel Machine Tool
This project represents one of the more common acoustical clouds we use throughout various types of projects. ARCH Global Precision is a manufacturing company that wanted to elevate the presentation of their commercial space in combination with providing higher acoustical value. Often as a subcontractor with Patco Construction, we were excited to tackle this project due to the high-level of detail and design. We used Saint-Gobain’s “Ecophon Solo” Circles in a variation of three different customized colors. Each Cloud was created with our own design tool to be able to suspend from the above grid system properly and at varying heights.
