"office"

Optimising acoustic comfort within radiology facility, LondonHush Acoustics transformed the acoustic environment within a radiology facility where staff and clients experiencing noise nuisance within both a boardroom and video conferencing room, which was noticeably affecting speech clarity.Renowned as specialist consultants throughout the UK, Australia and further afield, offering 24-hour radiology reporting, Everlight Radiology offers urgent after hours and daytime consultant radiologists to hospitals throughout the world. Hence, it was imperative that their rooms were treated quickly in order for the practice to continue with their duty of care and excellent service.After considering printed acoustic boards from another supplier, which would have offered Class C absorption, Everlight’s chief executive officer contacted Hush to gain more specialist advice on sound absorption.Upon a visit to the Everlight Office, we found the rooms to be suffering from very high levels of reverberation and echo noise. Through our professional and technical advice, along with carrying out an acoustic assessment, we presented the client with a recommended solution based around Hush Absorber Panels 50 & 50A panels. The reason for including the Hush Absorber 50A panel in the specification was because it was imperative for the ceilings to be treated in order to get the sound result that our client was anticipating.Faced with a vast array of asymmetrical ventilation ducts and lights on the ceilings in the rooms in question, additional consideration was needed regarding the placement of the acoustic panels. A plan was drawn up to give possible layout options, which were agreed by the client.Unlike the client’s initial consideration prior to contacting Hush, Hush Absorber Panels are Class A absorbers, made from fabric wrapped 50mm thick acoustic foam. They have built in support frames to allow for bracket fixing, to provide an air void behind the absorber for enhanced acoustic performance. Class A absorption is of the highest level, with Class E being the lowest and this scale ensures simple comparison between acoustic products, which is important when choosing the right product for maximum impact on sound reduction and speech clarity.Included in the client’s brief was a request for particular panels to be printed. The client wanted to incorporate their brand logo and hero statements, intended to remind their clients and staff members using the room of their key messaging and values. The pictures supplied to Hush were designed in-house and delivered in high resolution which ensured an outstanding result.The client expressed interest in having larger boards for the video conferencing room to the bespoke sizing of 2050 x 1300 x 50mm. These panels were made to order, and provided in colours Chrome and Smoke, which were then organised in a checked pattern on the ceiling. Hush 50A Absorber Panels were installed using suspension packs, which allows for the air void behind, whereas the Hush Absorber 50 Panels were installed using the Hush Absorber Adhesive, making them clean and easy to install.The client was delighted with the finished result, not only in terms of practically and the acoustic improvements but aesthetically too. The colours chosen along with the custom printing reflects the business looking smart, clean and contemporary and resolves the reverberation issues that they were originally facing.

The 115,000 square feet, 12-storey office scheme Eden/A3 Bailey in Manchester is designed with the ambitious goal of becoming one of the most environmentally friendly offices in the UK.  This ambitious goal included one of the biggest green wall façades in Europe in accordance with Passivhaus principles. As such, it was imperative the products specified were both sustainable and high performing to meet the demands of the brief.The challenge would be to strike a balance between performance on site and sustainability in the long term. This meant suppliers who could demonstrate a commitment to sustainability within their supply chain were at an advantage. Combined with their quality and high-performance products, Knauf were chosen.Neil O’Toole, sub-contractor for Linear Projects elaborates: “Given the aim of the project, we needed to use specialist products. This combined with the familiarity we had with Knauf meant that they were specified for use within the building itself.”Rahul Vishwakarma, the architect for the project from Make Architects continues. “Knauf offered guidance not just on their own products but on overall wall build ups which assisted in making design decisions . Furthermore, we found that their sustainability credentials aligned with the project.”The specialist products used included Knauf Shaftwall. Designed to meet fire safety requirements and building codes, Shaftwall provides high levels of fire protection enhancing the level of safety within the building for occupants. Using Knauf Shaftwall also allows for greater space optimization, by allowing for the creation of fire-rated vertical shafts, including elevator or stairway enclosures and horizontal shafts for electrical and plumbing services. Ensuring centralized services within designated areas and freeing up space.What made Knauf Shaftwall really stand out for Rahul though was the versatility it offered. As he explains. “Knauf Shaftwall was perfect for use on this project because it can be adapted to different building designs and configurations. Giving us much greater flexibility in terms of the build-up and layout, thus allowing us to customize the system to meet the specific needs of the project. That it is durable and long-lasting was an additional benefit.”A range of Knauf High Performance Plasterboard was used to meet the acoustic requirements of the office space. Knauf Soundshield Plus and Performance Plus were used to ensure a quieter more comfortable working environment and to provide Knauf Performer wall types as partitions throughout the building.  Furthermore, Knauf boards contain Recycled Gypsum along with Natural and FGD gypsum to form a strong core and system performance.Knauf Encasement system with Fire Panel was used to meet the safety requirements for the building, by offering fire protection to encase the steel work throughout the building.Knauf Test Data was used to enable the boards to contribute to the holistic performance required. This was particularly attractive for the architects given the use of heat pumps throughout the building.Knauf Ready Mix Finish provided a sustainable addition to the products used. As not only did reduce the amount of water that needed to be introduced into the build, but it also reduced the amount of waste produced. This is because any unused product can be put back into the bucket and used for another project.Whilst these products assisted in the development of the Eden/A3 Bailey, there were challenges.Something that Neil elaborated on. “At the start there wasn’t a full design, which meant we had to be agile and smart with how we approached the build. We were having to adapt as we went along, something we were only able to do thanks to Knauf. Their familiarity with the systems we were using meant they gave us advice on the best way to put things together. And if we had any questions or needed help, they were always on hand to provide it.”Neil Shaw, Contractor at B&K expanded on these issues. “Initially, there were a few challenges regarding getting a fire system installed. We needed one that had fire test data to meet the requirements of the project and be compliant with regulations. We tested a few systems and eventually settled on Knauf Fire Panel as it was the system that best met our needs.”Throughout all these challenges, both Neils felt that Knauf were incredibly helpful and supportive.As Neil O’Toole explained. “I’ve known some of the team at Knauf for a long time. They were fantastic, they assisted with the design and provided site audits, ensuring that any questions we had were answered and any help we needed was provided.”Rahul agreed with the sentiment. “The project is quite a tricky one in terms of what we are hoping to achieve, but the team at Knauf are brilliant. It’s been really helpful being able to talk to the team at Knauf who are really knowledgeable about the field and are always quick to respond to any questions we’ve got.”The project is ongoing, but the signs are there that it will achieve its aim of being one of the most environmentally friendly building within the UK.