We are committed to creating optimal sound environments
About Us
Established in 1988 by founders Lucio Visintini and Patrizia Buzzi, Gruppo Concrete Srl is an engineering firm with a long track record in acoustics, electroacoustics and vibrations.
After three decades of history, we adopted the Concrete Acoustics trademark precisely to underline the specificity of our field of expertise.
We have provided our services to a highly diverse clientele, with hundreds of completed projects. Our most notable clients include Italy’s largest broadcasters (Mediaset and RAI), renowned music conservatoires (Mantova, Frosinone, Brescia), prominent industrial entities (Leonardo S.p.A., Piaggio Aero Industries, A2A Group), private and public cultural foundations (Fondazione Prada, Triennale Milano), and public sector organisations (Municipality of Varese, Province of Mantova, Province of Verbano-Cusio Ossola).
We have a long-standing reputation for designing high-performance spaces engineered for music production, performance and media. Drawing on more than three decades of industry expertise, we have been able to identify and navigate the pivotal technological and strategic shifts that have redefined the media industry over the past twenty years.
Our experts hold a wide understanding of the problems associated with outdoor sound propagation, proven by a long experience in noise measurements and noise mitigation planning across different contexts, encompassing environmental assessments, workplaces and machinery in industrial settings. We have brought additional value to large-scale projects due to gained knowledge in the field of soundscape research, which allows us to broaden the point of view: not just aimed at the compliance with noise regulations, but also open towards a more holistic approach to urban design.
We continue to invest in technology to ensure our ever-growing laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments for sound and vibration applications. We rely on advanced software modeling and prediction tools for both room acoustics and environmental noise, and have often implemented verification of the predicted performance against real measurements to provide reliable results.
Following extensive experience of collaboration within large teams of professionals, we firmly believe that full integration across architecture, urban planning and acoustical design are pivotal to the success of any projects. Addressing noise surveys and acoustic assessments in the preliminary stage provides invaluable data that can inform the selection of materials, volumes and spatial organization, ensuring optimal outcomes.
Our Services
Environmental acoustics and noise control
Environmental noise and vibration surveys, noise impact assessments to support planning applications and permissions, noise propagation modeling and mitigation strategies
Architectural acoustics
Room acoustics design for concert halls, theatres, cinemas and multimedia production facilities, places of worship, office and workplaces, including acoustical modeling, sound reinforcement and AV system design
Building acoustics
Design and planning of public schools, corporate and residential buildings, including sound insulation advice, HVAC noise control and construction supervision
Acoustic testing and surveys
Sound and vibration measurements, STI measurements, acoustical parameters analysis, sound power testing and noise emission certifications
Key individuals
Lucio Visintini
Director and Co-founder
Lucio began his career as an acoustic consultant in 1986 and founded Gruppo Concrete Srl two years later.
He soon became a highly regarded recording studio designer and, in 1993, was recognised as one of the leading European acoustic consultants by Pro Sound News. Over the past thirty years, Lucio has designed more than one hundred studios, including a digital control room inside the opera house Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Marinastudios in Genoa (a cutting-edge facility that pioneered multichannel music), and various broadcasting studios for Mediaset, Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster.
Since 2000, he has worked as a technical consultant for the aircraft industry, specialising in the noise control of aircraft ground support equipment. He designed a hush house for Leonardo SpA and a jet engine test cells facility for Piaggio Aerospace.
In 2007, he represented Mediaset in the technical committee of the Authority for Communications Guarantees and contributed to the introduction of ITU loudness control in television broadcasting in Italy.
Lucio has designed several concert halls, theatres, music rehearsal and teaching facilities, often working in the context of historical-architectural building renovations. The most notable projects include the Auditorium Monteverdi and the Choral Rehearsal Room for the Conservatory of Mantua, the Auditorium Paris for the Conservatory of Frosinone and the acoustic renovation of the historical theatre of Milan’s Triennale.
In 2014-2015, he collaborated with Rem Koolhaas/OMA on the acoustic design of the cinema at the Milan venue of Fondazione Prada, also supervising the design of the audiovisual system. In 2020, he was engaged by Stefano Boeri Architetti as acoustic consultant in the international architecture design competition for the Shenzhen Opera House.
Lucio holds extensive experience in environmental noise studies, which he often carried out for municipalities, including noise management plans and regulations. In 2019, he has joined the engineering team that developed the technical and economic feasibility study (PFTE) for the new San Siro Stadium in Milan. Established as a core member of the team, in 2022 he was invited to participate as a speaker in the public debate process regarding the San Siro masterplan and the stadium project, reporting on noise mitigation plans.
Lucio has been an invited lecturer at Politecnico di Milano, and regularly hosts seminars about the relationship between sound perception, architecture and landscape.
Registered Tecnico Competente in Acustica (ENTECA n° 2254), as defined by Italian national legislation D.Lgs. 42/2017.
Patrizia
Buzzi
Architect and Co-founder
Patrizia graduated in architecture from Politecnico di Milano in 1987, with a thesis on architectural restoration. She began working as a freelancer and co-founded Gruppo Concrete Srl in 1988.
Her primary area of expertise lies in public architecture and landscape architecture.
Her role involves enhancing the aesthetic quality of buildings and ensuring the delivery of unique design solutions for each client. Patrizia’s role in the project includes material and furnishings selection, colour coordination, executive design, on-site construction supervision, as well as the management of suppliers and contractors.
In 2021-2023, she was involved in the completion of the new concert hall annexed to the Liceo Piero Gobetti in Omegna. Among her most notable projects was the design and direction of the conversion of Palazzo Verbania in Luino, a historic building situated on the Lake Maggiore waterfront, into a cultural centre housing the archives of writers Piero Chiara and Vittorio Sereni (2014-2019). For the same municipality, she has previously been responsible of the restoration of the town hall façades and the expansion of the town’s two cemeteries. In 2011, she designed a music production complex in the Ligurian backcountry. Her private sector portfolio includes various residential and office projects.
Since 1997, she has been a full member of the National Urban Planning Institute (INU) and a member of the executive committee of the Lombardy section. From 2015 to 2019, she served as an expert on the Lombardy Regional Commission for Landscape Heritage of the high plain and high-density urban areas, and subsequently for the hills and great lakes. Formerly a member of the commission of the Order of Architects of Varese, she made a substantial contribution to the organisation of cultural events related to a variety of fields within the profession.
Patrizia has been an adjunct professor of Architectural Technology at the Politecnico di Milano from 2005 to 2020.
Licensed architect, registered with the Order of Architects of the Province of Varese (OAPPC n° 827) since 1988.
Marco Verdi
Acoustic Consultant
Marco has been part of Concrete Acoustics since 2014, after graduating from Politecnico di Milano with an MSc in Sound and Music Engineering. Over the years, he has contributed to a variety of architectural and environmental acoustics projects, ranging from concert halls and audiovisual production studios to workplaces and industrial facilities. He has developed significant expertise across different acoustic disciplines, leading projects in Italy and Switzerland.
He previously gained research experience working on innovative techniques of acoustic imaging for the acoustical characterization of rooms, in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and the Swedish Radio and Television (SR/SVT).
He is responsible for on-site sound and vibration measurements, data analysis and modelling. He has extensive experience in computer prediction techniques and is proficient in the use of room acoustics and environmental noise modelling software.
In 2022, he was engaged by architect Andrea Caputo as acoustic consultant in the architectural design competition for Milan’s new Conservatory campus, Bosco della Musica, which was awarded third prize. In 2018, he collaborated with the music artist Lorenzo Senni on a permanent sound art installation for the Intensive Care Unit of Bergamo’s hospital, providing all-round acoustic consultancy including sound system design.
Marco regularly participates in international conferences and workshops, also as a speaker. He has been part of a research network on immersive media led by Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences since its inception. He is deeply interested in sound ecology, listening practices and soundscape studies in the urban environment.
Registered Tecnico Competente in Acustica (ENTECA n° 2246), as defined by Italian national legislation D.Lgs. 42/2017.