Grimshaw says the project demonstrates what is possible in acoustic design for public building design: "As an award-winning public space, it generates awareness around the vital role well-designed acoustics play in creating a great atmosphere and a place that people want to come back to again and again."

The library combines open-plan community activity areas, more contemplative spaces, plus meeting rooms and lecture theatres. The ground floor is the centre of this new, community-oriented redefinition of what a library can be. Entirely open, it includes a café and nooks to read newspapers and magazines.

"It's got spaces to gather informally and chat, and it has a mezzanine that overlooks the entire space through windows to the most wonderful garden settings beyond. There is also encouragement for people to meander out onto open-air patios overlooking the garden," Wilson says.

With these lively purposes built into the architecture, it was imperative that the best possible acoustic dampening was integrated into the design. ARM considered this from several angles, combining noise-absorbent furnishings such as a large and vibrant circular carpet with prominent padded columns throughout the split-level ground floor and mezzanine space.

But, with the ground floor open to the patios and park, the use of a concrete floor meant that Atkar's custom-made panels on the ceiling and walls were the fitting solution to effectively minimise noise reflected from hard surfaces.

"The acoustic panelling on the ceiling and walls plays a huge role in reducing reflectivity," says founding director and ARM partner Ian McDougall.

"Atkar - who we've worked with before and who specialise in this particular sort of finish - do a great job. It's a high-quality finish as well as being extremely effective in the way that it works from an acoustic point of view," he says.

In its application to contemporary construction, acoustics is, in part, a science of minimising reverberation times, which are measured in seconds against the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 decibels. The higher the reverberation time the more acoustically 'live' a space is, whereas a low time indicates a less reverberant or acoustically 'dead' space.

In its recently revised guidelines for sound levels and reverberation times for building interiors, Standards Australia recommends that reading areas in libraries aim for noise levels of between 40 and 45 decibels, with reverberation times of 0.4 to 0.6 seconds.

Atkar regularly subjects it products to independent acoustic testing and the results of these tests are studied by engineers and scientists such as those at Vipac, the firm ARM used to advise on acoustic implementation for the Geelong project.

"From a technical perspective, Vipac was engaged to ensure that echoing didn't occur and that noise transfer from the hard floor, and from one level to the next, also didn't occur. That requires a level of technical expertise and that's why we employ acoustic engineers," Wilson says.

Geelong has taken to its new community-oriented library with gusto. In the 11 months since it has opened, the new building has welcomed over 454,000 visitors. Average monthly visits are now around 38,500, compared with 14,000 to the old Geelong Library. Membership rates have also seen a significant increase, indicating people are planning to make the library an ongoing part of their lives.

And while Geelong residents are thrilled to have a distinctive reimagining of the library for the 21st century - a place where no one is going to get 'shushed' and community interaction is celebrated - Atkar is quietly working away in the background, providing state-of-the-art bespoke solutions that keep noise to a minimum.