"hilti"

A leading manufacturing company with over 30,000 global employees, Hilti designs cutting-edge technology that powers the construction industry. Future-proofing their offices in the prestigious Circle Square development of Manchester, partitioning experts Style combined three Dorma Hüppe Variflex moveable walls, allowing either a small meeting room with separate breakout area to be created, or one single open-plan space. Two of the walls are fully glazed, maintaining natural light throughout, whilst the third is finished with Kvadrat fabric class C absorption panels offset by a practical whiteboard surface to the mid-section. Allowing easy access between separated areas, both glass moveable walls incorporate pass doors.With a 52dB rating on the glazed systems and 55dB on the solid moveable wall, meetings and events can take place undisturbed, delivering a stylish yet adaptable meeting solution.Relocating from Trafford Park, Hilti moved its 200-strong team into the second, third and fourth floors of No.1 Circle Square, taking 42,000 sq ft of premium office space. As part of the internal redevelopment, Style worked with main contractor, Cubic Works, and architect, TP Bennett, to create flexible space in the meeting and innovation suite.“This is a clever arrangement of three moveable walls that allow the space to be quickly adapted to accommodate the events or meetings taking place on any given day,” said Andy Gibson, Style’s director for the North.“Thanks to the high-end acoustic ratings of both the glass and solid moveable walls, meetings can be enjoyed without interference, and the combination of absorption panels and writeable whiteboards make the perfect environment for business meetings, training sessions and brainstorms.”Style is the exclusive UK partner to Dorma Hüppe, Skyfold and SWG offering an extensive range of moveable, folding and partitioning walls for all requirements and budgets.

The Darwin Centre cocoon creates a new architectural icon for the capital, ground-breaking in scale and breath-taking in its originality and creative brilliance.The design features a vast free-standing structure taking the form of an enormous cocoon within a glass atrium. The eight storey high cocoon houses a unique collection of 17 million insects and 3 million plants collected over the last 300 years by scientists including Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace and Sir Hans Sloane. The building completes the Museum’s life science complex, the Darwin Centre, following the first phase opened in 2002.Design TeamThe response of the architectural design team at C.F. Møller, lead by partner Anna Maria Indrio, was to create an engaging image reminiscent of an essentially organic form. The surface and texture also needed to reflect this, so the subtle sheen of the ivory coloured Armourcoat plaster was chosen. With an intersecting network of ‘silk threads’ that criss-cross the cocoon, the surface allows for movement and provides a visual framework for openings and niches. Armourcoat was specified to devise a unique creative solution combining both the insulation and the final decorative layers. The cocoon performs a genuinely protective job providing thermal mass to inhibit any fluctuations to the internal temperature – essential for the museum’s treasured specimens. The structure also houses state-of-the-art laboratories for 250 international scientists and an interactive visitor exhibition.ConstructionA sixty-five metre long skeletal structure was built by sprayed concrete specialist Shotcrete – the first above ground sprayed concrete structural element in the world. Expanded metal mesh was fitted to the steel re-bar framework and a 250mm thick layer of concrete was spray applied to create a 3,500 m2 raw concrete surface. Armourcoat then applied a resin modified render to the structure to minimize localized variations to the surface, before the polystyrene insulation layer was fixed. Using Dryvit Genesis adhesive and over 16,000 Hilti insulation fasteners, a 50mm polystyrene layer was fitted to the entire surface of the cocoon then covered with a layer of reinforcing mesh bedded into Dryvit Genesis basecoat. To create the silk threads wrapping the structure, a special cutting machine was devised which could cut an accurate slot and create the individual 340 panels which make up the cocoon surface. A total of 5.6km of edge bead was then fitted before Armourcoat’s unique AntiCrack substrate preparation system was applied. AntiCrack is a polymer and fibre modified gypsum skim-coat plaster which creates a first class substrate, keeping the Armourcoat plaster layer in peak condition. Two layers of Armourcoat keycoat were applied prior to the application of the final finish. The finished effect of a giant silk cocoon was achieved using ivory coloured Armourcoat Armuralia polished plaster - an exquisite, smooth finish with subtle tonal variations.The cocoon is a milestone achievement, a unique design and technical solution befitting the historic and social reference of the Natural History Museum. This also is a stunning example of the type of commercial projects now undertaken by Armourcoat, celebrating twenty-five years of creative excellence in 2009.Client: Natural History MuseumArchitect: C. F. MøllerMain Contractor: HBG Construction

Isolating Hotel Rooms from RestaurantsPreventing noise transmission between the noisy areas of a building to the quiet areas is an ongoing challenge. When the quiet areas are people sleeping and the noisy area is a busy hotel dining room, the problem is particularly acute, but can be resolved by using the appropriate products which are cost effective and easy to install correctly.The ProjectPremier Inn Scarborough North is a new build 105 room, 5-storey hotel with a 68-cover restaurant, which was completed in March 2021. The new hotel was granted planning permission in 2018 and construction was slightly delayed over the Covid lockdown period.Owner of the Premier Inn brand, Whitbread, continues to see strong growth with their UK business continuing to outperform in the midscale and economy market and now has over 800 hotels in the UK. Key to the brand’s message is that wherever you stay in a Premier Inn, you will always get great levels of comfort.The ChallengeSources of noise which affect hotel guests include:External sources of noise and vibrationTransmission between rooms and between rooms and corridorsTransmission from engineering systems (ventilation and air conditioning, heating systems, lifts and so on)Transmission from public areas – reception, conference facilities and in particular restaurants.Noise transmission from restaurants, bars and reception areas becomes a significant challenge where the design of the hotel incorporates these areas on the ground floor of a block, with hotel rooms directly above.Reducing the transmission of noise from a large common area to individual hotel rooms rests principally on isolating the plasterboard or suspended ceiling. To overcome this challenge, a frequent recommendation is to design a ceiling incorporating neoprene isolation hangers.Neoprene Isolation Hangers for HotelsNeoprene isolation hangers are primarily used to isolate suspended sources of audible frequency vibration, such as piping and ductwork systems. They also provide very effective vibration isolation for hanging acoustic ceilings by preventing transmission of noise to the building structure.The isolation hangers supplied for use in the ceiling at Premier Inn Scarborough North were Isogrid Quick-Connect Ceiling Hangers, supplied by CMS Danskin Acoustics.The IsoGrid Quick Connect Ceiling Hanger has a specially designed dual deflection neoprene isolator which allows internal bulging. This enables the neoprene element to achieve greater deflections whilst maintaining lateral stability. Greater deflection translates to greater performance for noise control ceilings.IsoGrid Quick-Connect Ceiling Hangers have several other benefits:They are more cost effective than similar products;The simple design makes them quick and easy to install, providing significant labour savings over conventional sound control ceiling hangers;The known deflection rates ensure acoustical performance under design loads;Tested for airborne, impact and frequency performance to BS EN ISO 10140 requirements;Various attachment methods allow for installation on a variety of ceiling structures, including concrete, metal deck or structural framing;A bronze core serves to prevent poor acoustic performance due to over compression or due to accidental short circuiting of the transmission pathway.InstallationThe ceiling was installed by specialist contractor B W Shrimpton Limited. This was the first time that Shrimpton’s had used IsoGrid hangers, but they were well received.Supervisor Kirk Talbot, who has worked closely with the CMS Danskin Acoustics Team on several projects, explained his preference for the hangers is very much about the ease of installation:“We used Hilti pan head HUS fixings into the soffit for fixing them up, and the lads on site had no issues with them at all.“The IsoGrid hangers are definitely robust enough and easy to fix angle or wires to. On that basis and the cheapness compared to other hangers out there, I’d definitely use them again and will recommend that others do too.”Kirk Talbot, BW Shrimpton LtdTechnical Advice on Acoustics in HotelsCMS Danskin Acoustics are specialists in soundproofing materials and acoustic insulation. Our expert technical team can advise on the specification of a wide range of specialist acoustic and vibration control systems – balancing performance, aesthetics and budget. We provide solutions to treat floors, walls and ceilings, as required, delivering a holistic design approach to sound control for the complete gym or sports hall environment.We don’t just design, manufacture and deliver market leading products. We work with the entire supply chain and project teams to ensure a smooth path from conception to completion.