Building in the Middle East is different.

You aren’t just fighting physics. You are fighting the environment.

In Europe or North America acoustic design is mostly about mass and geometry. In the GCC you have to add a third variable: extreme heat.

When the ambient temperature hits 50°C standard rules don’t apply. Materials expand. Equipment derates. Sand gets into everything.

Yet the demand for silence is higher than ever. From the luxury hotels of Dubai to the data centres of Riyadh clients demand world-class acoustic performance. They want the cooling but they don’t want the noise.

At Galloway Acoustics we understand this balance. We don’t just import solutions. We engineer them for the region.

The Climate Challenge: Sand, Salt, and Heat

The environment here is hostile to metal.

Coastal humidity eats standard steel. Sandstorms scour painted surfaces. The intense UV radiation breaks down seals.

If you install a standard acoustic enclosure in this climate it won’t last. It will corrode and the acoustic integrity will fail with the structure.

We start with the materials.

• Substrate Selection: We utilize high-grade galvanized steel and marine-grade aluminum for coastal projects. 
• Protection: We apply specialized anti-corrosive powder coatings that can withstand the thermal shock and abrasion of the desert environment.

This is about longevity as much as visual appeal. An acoustic screen is useless if the fixings rust out after two summers.

High-quality materials solve that problem entirely.

Taming the Generators

In the GCC backup power is critical infrastructure.

When the grid fluctuates massive diesel generators kick in. The noise is immediate and deafening.

Containing this sound without overheating the engine is a massive engineering challenge. You are essentially running a fire inside a metal box in the middle of a desert.

We solve this with custom acoustic enclosures.

These are precision-engineered systems. We calculate the required airflow to keep the engine within its operating temperature. Then we design the intake and exhaust attenuation to handle that volume.

We pair these with heavy-duty acoustic doors. These aren’t just barriers. They feature high-compression seals to ensure no noise leaks at the threshold. They give you the access you need without breaking the acoustic seal.

Silencing Rooftop Roar

Look at the roof of any mall or skyscraper in the region. It is a sea of chillers.

The cooling load required to keep these buildings habitable is immense. That means the chillers are running hard 24/7.

This creates a constant low-frequency drone that can ruin the environment for nearby luxury apartments or hotels.

The solution is the acoustic screen.

We build these screens to create a “noise shadow.” We model the line of sight from the equipment to the nearest sensitive receiver. We build the barrier high enough to block the direct path of the sound.

The inner face is absorptive to stop reverberation. The outer face is durable to survive the sun.

The Data Centre Boom

The region is rapidly becoming a hub for Hyperscale and Edge data centres.

These facilities push air at incredible velocities. The servers need a constant clean airflow.

This requires sound attenuators that can handle high velocity without creating turbulence. We aerodynamically profile the splitters to minimize pressure drop. This keeps the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) low which is vital for green building standards.

We also deploy acoustic louvres on the façade. These have a dual job. They block the noise from escaping the plant rooms. But they also act as the first line of defense against the elements protecting the sensitive server halls from sand and debris.

Tested for the Real World

In high-stakes projects you cannot rely on guesswork.

If a consultant specifies a noise criterion of NR35 inside an office you need to hit it.

That is why we stick to international standards.

We test our products to BS EN ISO 140-3 and ISO 7235. We don’t just test for sound. We test for airflow.

Simply put, our data holds up whether the project is in London or Jeddah.

The Galloway Advantage

Galloway Acoustics has been operating in this region long enough to know what works.

We know that you cannot fight the climate. You have to engineer for it.

Our team delivers solutions that silence the noise without preventing the cooling. We build systems that last and keep the future in mind.

Contact the Galloway Acoustics engineering team today. Let’s discuss how we can elevate the acoustic performance of your next project in the Middle East.