Schüco Showroom

Leading window, door and façade systems supplier Schüco needed help to improve the sound quality within its UK showroom in Milton Keynes. OWA UK was the first to hear the call and has provided the perfect solution with an array of stylish acoustic ceiling rafts and canopies.

The showroom is ideally suited to hosting events and displaying the Schüco product range. But, echoes within the large space were making it hard for visitors to clearly hear those who were speaking. The solution was to introduce sound absorption via four of OWA’s attractive acoustic canopy and raft systems. This resulted in greater speech intelligibility, thus enhancing the overall experience of those using the showroom.

Commenting on the transformation, Schüco UK marketing director Helen Gemmell said: “We have an impressive showroom and events space which is housed within an area of the building with a warehouse structure. This resulted in a lot of sound problems due to the structure of the building and so OWA worked with Schüco to provide a tailored solution to resolve the sound challenges experienced when hosting events”.

“The result of the acoustic ceiling canopy has made a vast improvement to the acoustics of the building, removing the echo from the space and improving the clarity of sound. The solution is also in keeping with the design and high-end interior of the showroom thanks to the aesthetically pleasing industrial look to the canopy.”

Andrew Smith, managing director of OWA UK added: “We are delighted that we have been able to enhance what was already visually a stunning showroom space by working with Schüco to design and install a high-performance acoustic ceiling package. We are looking forward to attending more events at the showroom and also inviting our own customers to see our products in action and experience the comfortable acoustic environment first hand.”

Acoustic Solution

OWA UK installed a variety of acoustic canopy and raft systems in different areas of the showroom. Therefore, creating the perfect balance between acoustic performance and aesthetic appeal.

Three large RAW concrete monolithic rafts feature over the main conference space. As it’s name suggest, RAW concrete is a natural and industrial-looking surface. It mimics the look of the material while offering high sound absorption. Up to a hundred square metres of RAW boards were installed using OWA’s S7 suspension system. The installation avoided interfering with the existing services. As practically any size and shape is possible, each raft perimeter is finished with a black metal profile frame. The large format mineral boards are screwed from below with colour-matching screws. Similar to a regular plasterboard MF suspended ceiling system.

Above the mezzanine level, three further raft and canopy solutions are on show. Four demountable metal OWAtecta S80 acoustic rafts, including black acoustic fleece and class A acoustic pads. The rafts were designed to fit around the existing lighting rig. Each individual panel simply hooks onto a hidden frame and abuts one another to form the final assembly. In adjacent walkway areas, new ‘one-piece’ metal OWAtecta S14 acoustic canopies offer a smaller solution. Each canopy includes a black acoustic fleece and class A acoustic pad. Also, S14 canopies can be specified in any colour. Finally, above the bar area, OWAconsult Corpus cuboid shapes showcase the three-dimensional design. Corpus enables designers freedom to create individual layouts utilising the square and rectangular acoustic canopies.