Beaufort House

  • RBA Client:ABBar Consultancy
  • Start Date:2009
  • End Date:2010

Beaufort House is a premier cocktail bar and brasserie plus private members club set over 5 floors and located on the exclusive Kings Road, Chelsea. The members club holds a licence until 3am and offers a variety of services including fine dining, conference rooms, lounge bars and a cinema screening room.

The premises were extensively renovated in 2009 and 2010 and having successfully worked with the project manager on a number of previous occasions, RBA were instructed to provide detailed input and guidance relating to noise control for the scheme. Of particular concern was the proximity of the premises to a number of residential properties directly to the rear.  As such, a major part of our brief was to ensure that operation of the venue would not lead to any noise disturbance to these local residents – either in terms of noise break-out from the premises, noise from patrons using the external smoking area or from patrons leaving the venue. We were also required to advise on the most appropriate method of providing sound insulation between the various different areas whilst minimising the impact on the building fabric.

In order to demonstrate to both local residents and the local council that noise associated with the venue would not prove problematic, we undertook a detailed noise survey around the site to establish the prevailing background noise levels in the absence of any venue operation. We then prepared a series of models and calculations of noise break-out from the various different areas of the scheme (each with their own differing internal noise levels) so that the resultant levels at the nearby properties could be assessed and appropriate mitigation measures adopted.  In addition, we produced a detailed model of noise associated with patrons using the smoking areas such that an informed decision on smoking policy and noise control could be made. 

Recommendations as to the venue management plan were also made given our extensive experience of this issue from other premises and following liaison with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The club opened in 2010 and was subsequently voted as the Best Members Bar by the London Bar and Club Awards.

Photos courtesy of Beaufort House