Factory International, Manchester

Factory International will transform the former Granada Studios into a world-class cultural and arts venue in the heart of Manchester. It features The Hall, a large auditorium, and The Warehouse, a flexible multi-purpose space that is taller than four double-decker buses, longer than a jumbo jet and can accommodate 5,000 visitors.

Alongside the two public events spaces are The Towers, which house the ground floor entrance foyer, five floors of office space and a plant room at the top of the building. Noise reduces productivity by 66% so when it came to specifying the soffit insulation for The Towers, the architect wanted a solution that would limit airborne sound transfer and reverberation.

The insulation would be on display, so aesthetics was also important, and because Factory International will cater for large crowds of people, the chosen solution needed to be non-combustible.

Meeting the brief

The architects specified Knauf Insulation’s 50mm Heraklith® Tektalan A2 SmartTec for the soffit insulation in the ground floor foyer of the Warehouse area, main feature staircase, offices and plant room of The Towers.

Heraklith® Tektalan A2 SmartTec is a cement-bonded wood wool panel combined with a rock mineral wool insulation core. Both materials have an open structure that naturally absorbs the kinetic energy of sound waves, turning them into heat. It is also non-combustible with an Euroclass A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire classification.

Crucially, the Heraklith® wood wool range is also designed for applications where aesthetics is important because the panel is on display. It features bevelled edges and comes in nature tone as standard, or can be ordered in any RAL colour upon request, to create a stylish, uniform finish.

To compliment the design schemes in the different zones across the building, contractors, Mansell Building Solutions, ordered the panels in a combination of midnight blue, pebble grey, anthracite and black.

Scheduling deliveries

As the Factory International site is quite compact, there was little room available for storage. So, Knauf Insulation worked closely with distributor Encon Insulation to ensure the insulation was held in stock. Smaller deliveries were then made in line with Mansell Building Solutions’s schedule of works. This ensured that the insulation could be installed as soon as it arrived on site.

The product is quick and easy to install. Panels are fixed into position by installing Heraklith® DDS Plus Concrete Screws into each corner and the centre of the panel. The fastener heads have a patented wood wool texture to enhance the finished appearance.

Ultimately, installing Heraklith® Tektalan A2 SmartTec onto the soffits in The Towers and the ground floor foyer of the Warehouse not only compliments the design scheme and contributes to fire safety, but it will enable the team behind the events at Factory International to enjoy a quieter working environment too.