Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Direct-Attach Ceiling Panels Improve Acoustics

  • 01/01/19
Armstrong Tectum Direct-Attach acoustical panels

Armstrong’s Tectum Direct-Attach acoustical panels cut down on excessive reverberation times in Temple University’s School of Architecture.

The acoustics in Temple University’s School of Architecture building in Philadelphia were exhibiting excessively high reverberation times, affecting students’ ability to hear and understand their instructors. Acoustical testing by Metropolitan Acoustics of Philadelphia confirmed that reverberation times were much longer than recommended.

Consultant Graham Everhart explains how his team created models based off the testing to develop solutions. “Our overall recommendation was to incorporate acoustically absorptive materials on the available surfaces,” he states, “and in most spaces, the most available surface was the ceiling, so we focused on that.”

The consultants then worked with NELSON, the architectural firm responsible for the remedial retrofit project. “Considering the amount of hard surfaces, from an open metal deck to drywall walls to concrete floors, it was easy to see why sound bounced around so quickly,” notes Scott Winger, AIA, technical director for NELSON.

To reduce reverberation time and improve speech intelligibility, the design team chose Optima Capz ceiling panels from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions for the lecture halls and other presentation spaces. The panels were installed directly to the deck.

Tectum Direct-Attach acoustical panels from Armstrong were chosen for the classrooms and studios. “Tectum and Capz panels perform in a similar manner acoustically, but we went with the Tectum panels here because we thought they were a little more rugged and better suited for these types of spaces,” Winger states. These panels were also installed directly to the deck.

Acoustical testing following installation of the ceiling panels validated the choice of treatments. Reverberation time dropped an average of 56 percent in the eight spaces that were tested, including a 79 percent drop in one of the classrooms and a 64 percent drop in one of the studios.

www.armstrongceilings.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management January/February 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.