Royal College of Surgeons

Product: Gustafs Panel System and Gustafs Linear Ribs

LSA Projects supplied over 1000m2 of Gustafs Panels and more than 450m2 of Gustafs Ribs to the refit of the Royal College of Surgeons flagship facility in central London in 2021. The historic premises was originally completed and gifted to the college in the early 19th century as home to the Hunterian Museum in addition to a teaching facility for the association. The building has undergone regular regenerations to keep the facility up to date as well as reparations after damage in World War 2.

The 2021 renovation project at the headquarters in Lincoln’s Inn Fields was intended as a major overhaul to the day-to-day use of the spaces as well as the environmental impact of energy efficiency of the building. Architects chose to maintain the original building façade including the exterior columns and portico whilst transforming the inside of the building to meet modern environmental standards for insulation, energy use, and sustainability. Central to the redevelopment is the addition of versatile event and conference facilities including the Lumely Library and The View which can host and cater for up to 300 delegates.

Internally, designers chose to use natural timber products throughout for a timeless, enduring design while maintaining the traditional feel of the building. Gustafs Panels and Ribs were specified to clad the walls surrounding the central atrium space as well as in the main conference suite and ground floor lobby area. Bespoke panel and rib solutions were designed in collaboration with LSA to include hidden storage details within the walls as well as recessed alcoves displaying a collection of historic sculptures and paintings.

Both Gustafs products used included acoustic treatments. The panel system areas used nano perforations which provide acoustic class B control with 0.5mm surface holes in the face veneer and high performance ‘sound chamber’ perforations in the gypsum panel core. The ribs installed elsewhere used standardised mounting system to achieve 50mm centres between ribs. This mounting format achieves acoustic class C with minimal mounting build-up.

All timber elements used in this renovation scheme were required to meet strict standards for sustainable and responsible timber sourcing. The veneers for both Gustafs Panel System and Gustafs Linear Ribs for this project were supplied with FSC certification.