Sweco delivers high-end sound studios to Sharkmob in Malmö

Sweco has in recent years built up a reputation for helping Malmö’s world-renowned gaming industry improve the acoustic environment in their studios. Following successful projects with King (Activision Blizzard Group) and Tarsier Studios (Embracer Group), Sweco was brought in to deliver two studios to Sharkmob; A Tentcent Games studio.

The brief from the client was simple; to deliver two turn-key studios with high levels of sound insulation and a neutral room acoustic. In order to deliver upon this Sweco chose to collaborate with Smart Studios with their modern design/build approach to building studios. This studio concept utilises off-site construction and clever integration of M&E and electrics to allow for the delivery of a complete studio build.

Following the site selection process, a design for the two studio spaces was agreed with the client. The studio modules and parts were partially constructed off-site but as the consignment was loaded onto a container in Dublin, Europe went into lockdown. This left us with an anxious wait to see if and when the container would arrive to Sweden. Meanwhile a Plan B with local carpenters from Höij and Önnerups Snickeri was activated as Smart Studios installers were unable to make the trip abroad due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Smart studio modules

The container duly arrived without much delay and was lifted the three stories up and through the casement windows on the narrow-cobbled streets of Malmö’s old town. The room-in-a-room frame of the studios were assembled in a timely manner and thereafter the fit-out of the studios began including the installation of network cabling, electrics, lighting and ventilation. The studios were finished in a stretch-acoustic fabric seamlessly taut to the walls and ceiling hiding the acoustic insulation and room acoustic ‘magic’ which makes up the Smart Studio modules. All speaker cabling, network cabling and electrics were neatly concealed behind the black valchromat skirting positioned on the walls.

Testing room acoustics

Following the post completion acoustic testing of the studios the project was handed over to Sharkmob’s sound designers. The rooms are currently being used to record foley while awaiting the arrival of studio furniture, but the initial impressions of the studios and the quality of the room acoustics is extremely positive.

For more information with regards to Sweco’s offering in terms of studio acoustics please feel free to contact Kevin Dunne (kevin.dunne@sweco.se), Team Leader of Acoustics in Malmö.