Walk into any gymnasium during peak hours, whether it’s game night, a pep rally, or practice, and you’ll be met with the full force of sound: bouncing balls, shouting athletes, cheering fans, and blaring announcements. It’s a high-energy atmosphere, but it can also be overwhelmingly noisy, making it hard to focus, coach, communicate, or even enjoy the event.

Today’s gymnasiums are no longer just for sports; they’re multi-use spaces that support everything from athletic events and physical education to assemblies, concerts, drama productions, and after-school programs. Especially in urban schools, where space is limited and program demands are growing, gymnasiums must function as both performance halls and athletic centers. This dual-purpose usage places added pressure on acoustics, making well-tuned acoustic solutions essential for balancing clarity and control in dynamic, high-activity environments.

This is exactly the challenge Rubik, a newly introduced modular and printable acoustic frame and tile system by EzoBord, was designed to solve.

4. Health and Operational Impacts

Gym noise levels can reach those of industrial settings, like jackhammers. This forces instructors to strain their voices, often leading to vocal fatigue. Without proper acoustic treatment, prolonged exposure poses health and performance risks for both instructors and participants.

Rubik offers a powerful solution precisely targeting these issues. Rubik is not your average acoustic panel. It’s a modular, lightweight system specifically engineered to absorb excess noise and control reverberation in large, open, and sound-reflective spaces like gymnasiums and athletic centers.

Its high NRC-value, PET‑felt acoustic panels dramatically reduce reverberation times, pushing RT toward the ANSI/NRC benchmarks. Absorption panels applied on walls break up echo hot spots, typical in large rectangular gym venues.

Using a unique PET felt construction, Rubik effectively tackles the most common acoustic issues in gyms – echoes, sound distortion, and general volume overload. The result? Clearer communication, sharper focus, and a more enjoyable experience for everyone in the room, from athletes and coaches to fans and event staff.

Custom Graphics That Do More Than Look Good

Rubik doesn’t just control sound; it creates opportunities. Fully customizable, Rubik panels allow for seamless integration of team branding, school spirit, motivational visuals, and sponsor advertising. That means your gym’s unused vertical space becomes valuable real estate for storytelling, fundraising, and revenue generation. From showcasing local business partnerships to reinforcing school pride with mascots and colors, Rubik transforms walls into high-impact visual platforms that support both the acoustic and financial performance of your space. It’s a smart, multifunctional solution for those tasked with creating environments that inspire – and pay for themselves.

Scalable Design for Big Impact

Rubik panels are modular and scalable, allowing design teams and contractors to cover massive surfaces quickly and with precision. Whether it’s a single gym wall or an entire athletic facility, Rubik offers flexible installation options that meet both aesthetic and acoustic goals.

Final Whistle: A Better Experience for All

Gymnasiums are often reverberant, noisy, and acoustically inefficient, even by benchmark standards. Gyms are meant to be loud, but they don’t have to be overwhelming. But you don’t need to accept performance loss or communication hurdles as inevitable. With Rubik, you can create an environment that feels energetic and exciting without sacrificing clarity, comfort, or control. Rubik bridges the gap delivering rapid reverberation control, noise mitigation, branding opportunities, and resilience in demanding athletic environments.

It’s not just about reducing noise but about enhancing the entire experience. From first tip-off to final buzzer, Rubik helps you build a space where athletes can focus, fans can engage, and your brand can shine.

Interested in bringing Rubik into your next athletic project?

Reach out to our team to explore samples, design options, and performance specs.