The Fermentation Building, Finzels Reach

The Finzels Reach development is extending northwards toward the Floating Harbour and has been split into Fermentation North and Fermentation South.

​A working brewery from 1702 until 2000, The Fermentation Buildings have been home to several famous Bristol breweries, most recently Courage brewery. They have remained unused since the last drop was brewed and have now been refurbished to resurrect these iconic buildings.

In April 2019, Channel 4 announced their plans to occupy the second floor of the Fermentation Building as their new creative space. This new creative hub will be one of two in Britain as Channel 4 moves out of London. Bristol beat off competition from a dozen other cities to attract TV bosses.

The ground floor is set to be home to an eclectic mix of restaurants, cafes and shops and the neighbouring Compressor Building houses a brewpub by Left Handed Brewery and a new venture by Michelin-starred restaurant Casamia, this area is expected to become a popular hotspot for the city.

Finzels Reach Property LLP appointed Acoustic Consultants Limited to provide advice on the noise and acoustic issues associated with the refurbishment of the Fermentation Building.

We provided the noise and acoustic performance specification for the building including sound insulation criteria for separating elements, noise limits for the ground floor spaces, room acoustic requirements for the offices and internal and external plant noise limits.

Being a refurbishment, this has presented a number of noise and acoustic challenges. Using our 30 years of experience, in house proprietary software and 3D modelling software, we have been advising the numerous clients and the architect on the key noise and acoustic issues.

We have helped the architect develop the proposals of all buildings from the early stage and advised on best practice measures to reduce the need for acoustic mitigation measures later on. We are pleased to say that to date no element has failed to achieve the required performance standards.