Acoustic Panels Australia Pty Ltd

27/10/2026

What does Group 1 fire rating actually mean? 🔥

AS/NZS ISO 9705-2003 is a full-scale fire test that measures how wall and ceiling linings behave during a fire.

Here's how it works:
✔️ A test room is fitted with the lining material.
✔️ A corner burner runs for 20 minutes — 10 minutes at 100 kW, followed by 10 minutes at 300 kW.
✔️ Fire development is measured to determine whether and when flashover occurs.
Group 1 means flashover does not occur during the test. Groups 2, 3 and 4 reach flashover at progressively earlier stages.
Why does this matter?

Two acoustic panels may look identical but perform very differently in a fire. Choosing properly tested materials helps reduce compliance risks, particularly in commercial, education, healthcare and public buildings.

At Acoustic Panels Australia, our range includes Group 1, 2 and 3 lining options tested to Australian standards.

Save this for your next project specification.

15/10/2026

AUS Tiles just got bigger.

Four new design groups join the range, taking AUS Tiles to 40 profiles:

Slat — wide, twin, triple and mixed-width slat faces
Routed Slots — fine linear routing, from tight to open
Backed — ribbed, arched, crowned and wave profiles on an acoustic backing
Grids — open cell and channel structures for a more three-dimensional ceiling

Perforated, slotted and the decorative Styles profiles are all still there, now shown as 3D renders so you can see the actual face before you specify.

Browse all 40: https://apacoustics.com.au/products/aus/aus-tiles

12/10/2026

The lobby is one of the most important spaces in a commercial building. It sets the tone for the building, welcomes visitors, and shapes the first impression of everyone who walks through the doors.

It's also one of the most acoustically demanding spaces to get right.

Lobby acoustics present two common challenges. The first is reverberation — high ceilings, polished floors, glass façades and stone walls create reflective environments where conversations carry and footsteps become amplified.

The second is speech privacy — reception conversations, visitor check-ins and discreet phone calls all take place in spaces designed to feel open and welcoming.

Good lobby design considers acoustics from the beginning. Ceiling treatments, architectural wall panels and timber features can help control reflected sound while complementing the overall design.

Projects such as the Finlay Crisp lobby and 616 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, demonstrate how acoustic treatment can become part of the architectural design, helping create spaces that feel both impressive and comfortable.

The best lobby design doesn't make acoustic treatment an afterthought. It makes it part of the architecture.

Designing a commercial lobby? DM us or get in touch via apacoustics.com.au/contact.

29/09/2026

When we talk about learning environments, we often focus on technology, furniture and flexible spaces.

But one of the biggest influences on student outcomes is something much simpler: how well they can hear.

Many classrooms are filled with hard, reflective surfaces—plasterboard, glass, concrete and vinyl flooring. Great for durability, not always great for acoustics.

When sound bounces around a room, speech becomes less clear, students have to work harder to concentrate, and teachers end up competing with the room itself.

This can be especially challenging for younger students, children learning English as an additional language, or any student with mild auditory processing differences.

That's why acoustic treatment isn't just about comfort—it's about creating learning environments that support every student in the room.

In many cases, the ceiling is the best place to start. It treats the largest area of the space, reduces reverberation and improves speech clarity without impacting the classroom layout.

Good classroom acoustics don't just make a room quieter.

They make it easier to learn.

23/09/2026

Six things worth checking the moment an acoustic sample lands on your desk:

◾ Colour and tone — under your project's lighting, not the showroom's
◾ Texture and surface finish
◾ Material thickness and feel
◾ Edge treatment
◾ Overall visual quality
◾ Compatibility with the other finishes in the scheme

A brochure image gets you none of this. And a finish that reads well on screen can look like a different product entirely once it's sitting next to real flooring and joinery.

Our guide covers how to order samples, what to look for, and how to present them to a client so the decision sticks.

https://apacoustics.com.au/forms/request-samples

23/09/2026

Six things worth checking the moment an acoustic sample lands on your desk:

◾ Colour and tone — under your project's lighting, not the showroom's
◾ Texture and surface finish
◾ Material thickness and feel
◾ Edge treatment
◾ Overall visual quality
◾ Compatibility with the other finishes in the scheme

A brochure image gets you none of this. And a finish that reads well on screen can look like a different product entirely once it's sitting next to real flooring and joinery.

Our guide covers how to order samples, what to look for, and how to present them to a client so the decision sticks.

https://apacoustics.com.au/forms/request-samples

21/09/2026

Timber slat panels are one of the most-specified acoustic finishes in commercial design right now. It's worth understanding why — and where the trend can go wrong.

Three reasons the slat works for the moment:

First — visual warmth. Glass-and-concrete interiors need a softening element, and timber slat is one of the cleanest ways to introduce it without committing to a heavy timber feature wall.

Second — acoustic value. A correctly-built slat panel absorbs across a broad frequency range, especially when paired with an acoustic backing fabric and a defined air gap. It's a finish that earns its surface area twice.

Third — pattern and rhythm. The slat creates visual texture without imagery — useful for spaces that need calm rather than statement.

Where it goes wrong: a slat-look panel without acoustic substance is a missed opportunity. The finish does the visual job but contributes nothing to the room's sound. Worse — when imported products are used, the fire compliance picture can be unclear.

Specify a slat that's Group 1 fire rated, Australian-made, and tested with its backing system. That's the version of the trend that ages well.

Save this for your next slat panel spec.

18/09/2026

At MedCentral Knox Medical Centre, the acoustic brief was clinical privacy — and the constraints were retractable doors, multiple structural columns, and a floor plate that had to flex between reception, waiting and consult use.

The solution combined 18mm × 18mm veneer battens with AUS Slat™ panels, configured across the spaces where speech privacy mattered most. The challenge wasn't the product — it was making the system work around the architectural complications: doors that move, columns that interrupt continuous wall runs, transitions between zones.

This is where Australian manufacturing earns its place. Custom batten configurations, on-site measure adjustments, and panel-to-column detailing all happen faster when the workshop is local.

The result: a multi-practice medical centre where consult rooms hold their conversations, the waiting space stays calm, and the reception zone reads as ordered rather than overwhelming.

Healthcare acoustic design isn't about silence. It's about restoring the calm a building should already have.

Healthcare fit-out in design? Contact us today!

10/07/2026

University projects are some of the most challenging acoustic environments to design well.

Think about it—within a single building you might have lecture theatres, study spaces, libraries, tutorial rooms, collaborative hubs and staff offices, all with completely different acoustic requirements.

A lecture theatre needs clear speech projection.
A study space needs focus.
A library needs quiet without feeling sterile.
A collaborative area needs conversation without becoming overwhelming.

That's why there's rarely a single acoustic product that solves everything.

The best outcomes come from designing acoustics around how each space is actually used—combining different ceiling treatments, wall applications and absorption levels to suit the activity taking place.

One thing we've seen across projects with Melbourne University, Victoria University and La Trobe is that successful acoustic design starts with understanding the space, not selecting the product.

Because education projects aren't one acoustic brief.

They're multiple acoustic environments operating under the same roof.

Are you working on a campus, education or learning space project? We'd love to hear how you're approaching acoustics.

07/07/2026