AIL Sound Walls target unwanted noise from Michigan shooting range

November 30, 2023

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources operates over a dozen staffed and unstaffed shooting ranges for firearm users and archers. For several months in 2023, their Echo Point Shooting Range was closed while crews worked on site improvements, including additional sound abatement measures. AIL Sound Walls were selected for this project.

Noise barrier wall project was a long time coming to fruition
Originally brought to us by our partner, Siebein Acoustic, this project was a long time coming to fruition. Siebein involved us early on to help with the optimum layout, developing a preliminary foundation design and budgetary pricing for the owner’s lead consultant, Nowak & Fraus Engineers (NFE). We worked closely with both consultants during the lead up to the project and then, in turn, with Groove once the project was awarded and moved into full design and construction.

Wide interior view of sound barrier wall at shooting range

Longer Silent Protector XL panels save on foundation costs
The final design used our longer Silent Protector XL Series Panels to maximize the spans and reduce foundation costs. It also allowed us to match the exact layout of two offset and overlapping 14′ walls that run a total of 176′ behind the shooting stalls.

Wide exterior view of sound barrier wall at shooting range

Our Silent Protector sound absorption wall panels are engineered for maximum noise reduction. Made from recycled and recyclable perforated PVC panels and filled with acoustical mineral wool, Silent Protector is one of the industry’s top-performing sound walls, with a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of up to 39 and a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.95.

When Groove Construction encountered some unexpected issues with the foundation on site, we worked with them to resolve the issues. Positive feedback from Groove and the DNR Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been received. For more detailed information, Siebein’s detailed acoustical improvement analysis is included in the links on the bottom of the Echo Point Shooting Range’s web page.

Shooting ranges are tough noise sources to mitigate and we were happy to be partnered with Siebein in this challenge. While this was our first sound barrier wall project for a shooting range, mitigating unwanted noise from a wide variety of noise sources is something we embrace. Some of our more interesting noise-source projects have included an Atlanta race car track, a California doggy daycare and the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

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