Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ceiling Panels Absorb and Block Noise

  • 01/01/16
Ceiling Panels Absorb and Block Noise

Rendering of a small “collaboration hub” at the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences.

The Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences in Lancaster, PA, is relocating to a new campus by converting a former office building into the school’s administrative building and a former manufacturing facility into a 200,000-square-foot state-of-the-art learning environment. One of the key interior design considerations in both buildings is the reduction of noise intruding into one space from an adjacent space.

According to Deborah Knast and Jill Sirota of Stantec Architects & Engineering, Philadelphia, PA, the college is dedicated to improving the acoustic environment of the new facilities. “The college is currently housed in a number of older buildings at another location,” states Knast, “and many of the spaces are not acoustically acceptable. As a result, the college is extremely sensitive to acoustics and does not want to replicate any of the existing conditions.”

To meet the acoustic as well as aesthetic goals of the new buildings, the design team selected Ultima High CAC ceiling panels from Armstrong. The panels feature new Total Acoustics™ performance, which is the ability to provide both sound absorbing and sound blocking in the same panel.

To deliver that performance, the panels have a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.60, meaning they absorb 60 percent of the sound that strikes them, and a very high Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC) of 40, meaning they perform extremely well as a barrier to intruding noise.

“The high CAC was one of the main reasons we chose these ceiling panels,” states Sirota. “On this project, the ability to block noise from adjacent spaces was key.”

The learning facility also houses a large open collaboration area surrounded by smaller enclosed spaces where students can work together. To improve the acoustic environment of both, the Total Acoustics ceiling panels will be installed around the perimeter of the open collaboration space as well as in the adjacent closed spaces.

www.armstong.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.