Knauf Ceiling Solutions Limited

Award Winning Landmark RedevelopmentThe £21.7m Campus Central landmark redevelopment at the University of Stirling scooped the award for the best building in the Education Category in the 25th Scottish Design Awards, July 2022 and won the Scottish Regional Category for the National RICS Awards 2022 – Commercial Development.The aspiration was to enhance the entrance setting of Queen’s Court by putting it at the heart of the University. The life and activity of the new building spills out onto a pedestrian friendly environment that can flexibly accommodate a range of uses throughout the year. The innovative design strategy frees up Queen’s Court from all traffic, relocating bus stops and a new transport hub at strategic locations to access the wider campus.Seamlessly linking three buildings together presented structural and design challenges particularly for the ceiling landscape. With different ceiling heights and the creation of a 5,000sqm space, a versatile ceiling material providing high acoustic performance was required. Retaining the original late modernist building’s structurally impressive interior, the new extension offers a flexible form with exposed in-situ concrete, glulam and cross laminated timber. The choice of Knauf Ceiling Solutions materials was vital for the design in helping define the different student spaces and through its high performance ensure optimum sound absorption. HERADESIGN® Superfine in a Natural colour was installed throughout to create a seamless and unified space, visual impact and to ensure the optimal acoustic control.

Blue Is the ColourChelsea Football Club stadium’s refurbished Westview Hospitality Area represents the biggest single investment in years and is hailed a triumph by enthusiastic club supporters.To dramatically improve the match day experience of fans by providing new state-of-the-art hospitality facilities at Chelsea’s landmark stadium in London.Merging two small hospitality restaurants with an upper Guest Area concourse area into one single wide open plan space represented a technical and design challenge.Now on offer: a new welcoming open and flexible concourse, two panoramic bars offering views of the stadium interior and west London, with ample room to take a seat, new comfortable padded seats in the stands and three additional video screens.

Paradise Street student village, Coventry, provides 893 quality homes and 1,400sqm of social space including common rooms, café/bar, cinema and gym.Our HERADESIGN® ceilings have been fitted in the acoustically-demanding areas to help create an environment that’s conducive for both study and relaxation.HERADESIGN® was the first choice for FBM Architects as they had used it in another recent student accommodation project in Coventry and valued its aesthetic properties, acoustic credentials and durability. “We chose HERADESIGN® because of its textured effect that would provide a tactile quality and soften the space, both acoustically and visually.”

Marking a £10.6m investment, a Hampshire County Council (HCC) designed school in Wellesley, Aldershot provides an excellent start to a child’s learning. Knauf Ceiling Solutions' HERADESIGN® Superfine contributes to this vision by helping to create a healthy acoustic environment. HERADESIGN® is manufactured from sustainably sourced wood wool with a unique, organic aesthetic that can match any colour as ceilings, baffles, canopies and wall absorbers. Thanks to the technologically-advanced mineral wool core, HERADESIGN® demonstrates exceptional sound absorption which makes it suitable for a variety of environments, from schools and leisure buildings through to offices and hospitals.

Knauf integral in Warwick Hall development.The Knauf team has played a significant role in the  specification and design process during recent  construction at one of the oldest schools in England, working alongside award winning Associated Architects to produce a masterclass in acoustic  performance.The site consisted of an existing hall, which was used for assemblies, performances and functions. This hall was built in the 1960s and suffered from a series of failings which impacted its flexibility and usefulness.The proposal for the Warwick Hall was an opportunity to build a physical embodiment of Warwick School’s  academic excellence, prosperity and ambition, which saw the existing school hall stripped back to its structural frame and heavily modified to provide a state-of-the-art, revitalised and flexible school hall with  a large double height entrance foyer, two performance  studios and other ancillary spaces. The brief was given to the team at Associated Architects and they quickly relied on the quality of materials and service provided by Knauf.

Design and acoustic performance were key criteria for this project, which is why HERADESIGN® was installed in all the classrooms as floating canopies and throughout the school, in the main corridors, where bespoke swing down access panels were also installed. Reddy Architecture commented, “We really love the architectural raw wood wool quality of HERADESIGN®. The visible texture provided the required aesthetic contrast.” A calm neutral colour palette with HERADESIGN® specified in warm-white provided a gentle contrast with the soft charcoal walls and floors - the perfect backdrop for bold bursts of colour at the entrance to the classrooms.

Acoustic consideration was critical for the design of a new generation cycle studio in London. An isolated sound box was constructed to form the studio with stud walls built to separate it from the café – using a lift shaft model allowing for air and acoustic separation.To complement the paired back industrial ‘Scandi’ design and monochrome pallet, HERADESIGN® in black was specified throughout. Joe Stuart of Warehome Architects said, “Heradesign was perfect for this project. It provides excellent acoustic properties and we love its natural, raw wood wool texture. Specified in black it is really striking.”

Pushing Forward WellbeingThe Belgrade-based Institute of Oncology and Radiology symbolises hope in the fight against cancer. It sets a new standard with state-of-the-art equipment and a room concept designed for patients first, pushing forward wellbeing as a constitutive element of patients' recovery.With the support of our ceiling experts in Serbia, Knauf Ceiling Solutions provided 1,200sqm of acoustic solutions for the clinic building with a strong focus on hygiene requirements.

Optimum sound control and humidity resistance were design imperatives for the new Strathclyde Sports Centre. HERADESIGN® and THERMATEX® Aquatec were specified for the project. HERADESIGN® Macro was installed on the walls around the swimming pool. THERMATEX® Aquatec formed the ceiling system in the adjoining changing, showering and circulation areas. Gareth McKnight, Kennedy Fitzgerald & Associates said, “The challenge was finding a system that met the anti-corrosive criteria and performed acoustically. An acoustician measured the reverberation times and HERADESIGN® performed well. With a white interior colour scheme HERADESIGN® brought texture, added depth and interest to the overall interior design.”

An £8m administrative hub at Bristol Airport has a bespoke Knauf Ceiling Solutions systems fitted throughout. A visually intricate honeycomb effect ceiling required the meticulous installation of suspended hexagonal acoustic rafts with precise spacing. A bespoke DONN® grid ensured each MINERAL Sonic Element was positioned equidistant to each other. Stride Treglown Associate Architects commented, “The internal aesthetic is an honest expression of the steel structure and exposed services installation. However, these two factors require careful acoustic consideration. The result is a series of randomly arranged, hexagonal suspended rafts that provide acoustic function, and a strong visual statement.”

Murchison House, received a significant refurbishment, giving the University of Edinburgh a new purpose-designed venue.Reconfigured to provide light-filled, comfortable spaces for students and staff, architects Reiach & Hall specified Knauf Ceiling Solutions' HERADESIGN® for a first-class acoustic solution aligning with the university’s contemporary design brief.A suspended raft system in the café and breakout area was created using HERADESIGN®.Cut to create triangular canopies, the floating ceiling solution offered the illusion of height and provides excellent acoustic performance. In the study areas, 100sqm of HERADESIGN® wall absorbers were installed throughout the study zones continuing the geometric theme.

Queen’s University is a member of the Russell Group, and one of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s leading universities which continues to shape and serve the world through research and teaching. Based in the heart of Belfast, Queen’s University is committed to enhancing its historic campus and the surrounding conservation area while providing 21st century facilities for education and research.With the entrance atrium combining various double and triple-height spaces over different floors, Armstrong METAL Cellio was the perfect choice to provide a sleek contemporary ceiling that connected and unified these spaces into one recognisable volume, with a sense of lightness and transparency.HERADESIGN® was used throughout the building as a recognisable and repeated element that provided good acoustic performance with texture and pattern. From a wall and ceiling installation highlighting the reception area, to acoustic absorption on the walls in meeting rooms and subtle black hanging baffles in a bar space.

Improve the Student and Staff Experience at LSEThe new building, which opened its doors in January 2022, demonstrates the School’s ambition to create a world class estate and university quarter in the heart of London. Designed by Dublin-based Grafton Architects, the large, multi-purpose building occupies a pivotal position at the southern corner of Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The Marshall Building is LSE’s largest building with ten storeys plus two basement levels. It accommodates the Departments of Accounting, Finance and Management, as well as the Marshall Institute of Philanthropy and Social Enterprise, the Systemic Risk Centre and the Financial Markets Group.HERADESIGN® Fine and HERADESIGN® Superfine were chosen for its acoustic performance, aesthetics, economy and low carbon. The impact resistant type was also specified for the sports areas. Alongside, Armstrong METAL R-H 200 panels provide a sophisticated open and contemporary look. They were chosen for areas where more service access was required but where a consistent aesthetic was also important. The metal panels were also used as ‘floating canopies’ so a high perimeter was specified to give a finished look at all sides.

Complementing the exposed services and industrial design aesthetic, whilst fulfilling modern acoustic requirements was a challenge.HERADESIGN® with its acoustic credentials and raw wood wool texture ticked all the boxes. Specified in Grey, HERADESIGN® was installed throughout the main reception area, office spaces and the lift lobbies, providing a strong visual contrast to the exposed structural elements. Architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, “The conversion retained the original irregular structural gridlines of the building, so we had to create a consistent pattern across the ceiling- but HERADESIGN® is a really versatile material that worked exceptionally well in the space.”

Northumbria University’s Grade II Listed Sutherland Building, home to its Architecture and Built Environment Department, now boasts a state-of-the-art architecture studios. Page\Park worked closely with ESH Group to deliver the new-build for which functionality and design were key. HERADESIGN®, a high-performance product which effortlessly retains ambient sound whilst reducing disturbing background noise, provided the acoustic and aesthetic solution required for the project. HERADESIGN® Superfine tiles are a versatile material and Page\Park were able to work with the tiles to deliver a distinctive, geometric herringbone design on the ceilings for maximum design impact.

Leeds Arts University completed a 5-year £22m building expansion with HERADESIGN® Sonic Element and Baffle Element, installed throughout the main entrance, library and the new group spaces to minimise noise disturbance.The design for the project meant all the mechanical services had to be exposed and the lighting integrated into the hanging canopies.Paul King of DLA Design Group said, "We chose HERADESIGN® because, aside of the acoustic performance, we liked the natural, raw wood wool. It’s a striking and versatile material and we were really impressed with how the individual panels could be matched to the chosen colour scheme.”