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

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.