VANCOUVER, BC, October 22, 2012 – Raicor Contracting, Ltd. earned the Northwest Wall & Ceiling Bureau’s Outstanding Project of the Year 2012 award for the visually spectacular LDS Temple located about 50 miles southeast of Vancouver in Langley, BC.  Included in the project’s flawless design are Acoustiblok’s All Weather Sound Panels, custom fit to create a clean, architecturally attractive noise enclosure for the Temple’s roofless ancillary building that houses an industrial generator and HVAC systems.Project Manager Timo Orava of Raicor worked with acoustic specialists from Acoustiblok, who recommended the All Weather Sound Panels for the project. Not only did the Temple officials want the noise reduced for Church members to worship in peace and quiet, the solution had to offer a clean, architecturally attractive appearance in keeping with the meticulously designed interior.

The LDS Temple which was built in the spirit of Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament, according to Orava. Extreme care was taken not only in the design, but in the execution, which took more than three years to complete.

“The LDS Temple is an inspiring monument that Church leaders wanted built to perfection, right down to the very last detail,” Orava says. “It’s a visually stunning structure built to last, ideally, for hundreds of years.

“Church leaders’ interest was in getting a completed structure that is pleasing to God’s eye, and nothing less would suffice.”

The project was challenging for Orava’s team at Raicor because of the extremely high building standards in place, and the Temple leaders’ meticulous requirements. With a zero-tolerance for deficiencies, from the drywall to the wall sconces, the project demanded faultless workmanship. Orava said the Acoustiblok All Weather Sound Panels were no exception, and needed to fit exacting specifications in the structure.

“One-eighth of an inch off anywhere, and they would not have fit,” he said. “But the Acoustiblok team custom cut and finished each panel to the exact dimensions, and they all fit together flawlessly.”

Nineteen standard 4 foot x 8 foot panels and 13 custom sized panels were used to create the precision noise barrier that Temple leaders wanted; clean, aesthetically pleasing, and most important, effective.

“After the panels went in, the noise issue was resolved, which was surprising because the building that houses this noisy industrial equipment has no roof,” Orava says. “The noise is no longer a problem.”

Acoustiblok President and Founder Lahnie Johnson says the All Weather Sound Panels are different from other conventional sound panels. In addition to being able to stand up to the most extreme environments, they not only absorb virtually all sound but they also contain a layer of Acoustiblok material which provides exceptional noise blockage.

The sound absorbency of the panel brings down substantially the acoustical energy around the generator and chiller by eliminating all sound reflections in the area, while the Acoustiblok material in the panel allows it to also be an excellent sound barrier. These qualities make the All Weather Sound Panels a perfect fit for the LDS Temple, where they will perform at their full potential in the Northwest Canadian environment.

“Vancouver experiences some real weather extremes, which these panels are built for,” Johnson says.

“In addition, when they are worked into an architectural design with this kind of precision and attention to detail, they offer an enhanced aesthetic when appearance is important, as it was here.”

About Acoustiblok All Weather Sound Panels^®

Acoustiblok, a NASA “Spin-off” company, developed the All Weather Sound Panels, engineered specifically to withstand the most rigorous outdoor and industrial environments. Water, moisture, humid salt air or salt water, dirt, dust, UV, chlorine air, corrosion, and most harsh chemicals do not affect them. The industrial sound panels are available with an acoustically transparent five micron stainless steel dust filter for outdoor use in the world’s toughest environments, from the mining industry to the desert areas of the Middle East, and other applications where dust is a concern. Acoustiblok sound panels are extremely durable and are currently in use by the United States Army in the Middle East.

Washable, durable, long lasting and usable in hundreds of areas and applications, the Acoustiblok All Weather Sound Panels are not just “sound absorbing” but also “sound blocking.” This allows the panel to not only absorb sound but also stop the sound from penetrating through the panel, a very meaningful advantage over conventional “sound absorbing” panels that stop sound reflections but are poor sound barriers.

With an unprecedented noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 1.00 (Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories test results), they are the only noise barrier wind-load tested to 270 mph. Rigid and self-supporting, they can be used like building blocks to permanently or temporarily enclose any noise source, such as chillers and industrial machinery.