If you enjoy listening to music as much as I do, you’ll quickly discover that a conservatory is not an ideal space in which to crank up the loudspeakers on the hi-fi. You get more reverberations and it can annoy the neighbors.
This is quite easy to understand I suppose if you look at the arrangements of walls and sound deadening equipment in a recording studio. The only glass to be seen is between the studio and the control room and great care is taken with that to ensure that it is thick enough to avoid unnecessary vibration.
It is also possible to use a special acoustic laminate within the glass; this is softer than alternative laminates in double-glazing and changes the resonant frequency simultaneously separating the panes of glass by a small amount.
Of course this works in two directions; as well as stopping sound from reverberating and traveling out, it also helps reduce the penetration of sound from outside. This can be an important issue if you live near a busy road, close to a railway line or suffer from aircraft or other noise.
When planning your conservatory it is important to think about how sound may impair your enjoyment of using it. If you do have a lot of aircraft noise, you may find it more sensible to have an orangery built with a solid roof overlaid with lead. Not only does lead weather with an attractive patina, it is an excellent sound deadening material.
At the same time you should consider the size of roof lanterns and try to keep them as small as possible to avoid too much sound penetration. Also, check the quality of the seals that will be used around glass in windows and doors. These can have more of an effect on reducing sound penetration than double-glazing itself.
It is possible to overdo acoustic deadening. I remember a couple that lived in the country and had double glazing and cavity wall insulation installed in their country cottage. After it was installed they complained that they no longer woke in the mornings to the sound of birds singing in their garden. conservatory with solid roof