YMCA of Buchanan Gym Acoustics
Custom hand-made fabric tracks measured wall-by-wall to tame echo in a hard-surfaced YMCA gymnasium.
Before & after
Project photos
Mid-install: fabric tracks cut and set on site from the lift.
Materials & system summary
The key soundproofing components used on this build, grouped by the job each layer does in the assembly.
Wall absorption
Forty-one hand-made track panels, each measured and fabricated to its own wall bay, turning the tall reflective wall planes into broadband absorption.
Absorption core
- Polyboard acoustic infill
Set inside every track frame as the absorptive core that shortens reverberation across the court.
Finish
- Acoustically transparent panel fabric
Client-selected fabric stretched over each frame — sound passes straight through the face into the core.
What was the sound concern?
The gym at the YMCA of Buchanan in San Francisco had the echo problem that large, open athletic spaces are known for. Hard floors, tall painted walls, and an open wood ceiling left nothing to absorb sound, so whistles, bouncing balls, and voices smeared together and made the room difficult to run programs in.
What was our plan?
This called for acoustic treatment rather than soundproofing — the goal was not to block sound leaving the room, but to shorten reverberation inside it. We specified 41 custom, hand-made fabric tracks sized to the exact dimensions of each wall bay: thirty panels at 4' × 20' and eleven panels at 78' × 53'. The fabric color was chosen by the client, and every track was fabricated by our own team so we could match the precise openings and the client's finish preference.
What further issues did we need to resolve?
The gym's wall planes are broken up by arched timber trusses, windows, backboards, scoreboards, and wall padding, so no two bays were the same. Every track was measured and fabricated to fit its own opening, and installation had to be staged from a scissor lift and worked around the facility's schedule.
What was our final Sound Solution?
The finished system is 41 custom fabric track panels running the upper walls of the gym, converting the highly reflective surfaces into broadband absorption. Echo in the space dropped noticeably, speech and coaching are intelligible across the court, and the client is very happy with the result.
Want a room like this?
Tell us the size of your space, where it is, and whether you're trying to block sound or clean up the sound inside it. We'll come back with a scoped estimate — usually within one business day.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (415) 864-4440.