Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Undulating Ceiling Helps Quiet Noisy Cafeteria

  • 04/01/19
armstrong

Iron Forge Educational Center in Pennsylvania installed undulating ceiling from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions.

Over the course of its 95-year history, the Iron Forge Educational Center in Boiling Spring, Pa., underwent seven renovation projects. The building no longer appeared cohesive, and as a result, school officials decided to renovate the entire building to create a more unified environment.

The existing cafeteria provided a number of challenges, including a low ceiling and the need to provide a higher level of noise-reducing acoustical performance. To meet the objectives, the design team at Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates Architects selected Serpentina Classic clouds from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions. Ideal for use in exposed structures, the pre-engineered 3D-curved-metal ceiling system provides a dramatic visual along with acoustical control when using perforated panels.

Senior Project Designer Arif Hasanbhai explains that the team wanted an acoustical ceiling that would complement the new “natural” design motif of the school. As a result, the clouds are custom green in color. The exposed plenum was painted black to make the ceiling clouds pop visually and hide the piping and conduit above them.

“The Serpentina clouds define the space and provide interest in the ceiling without sacrificing ceiling height,” he states. “They also allowed us to expose the structure permitting the space to be as open as possible while still maintaining acoustics.”

To provide the desired noise absorption, acoustical infill panels were placed behind the perforations in the Serpentina clouds. “We always use an acoustical backer because it goes hand-in-hand with an exposed structure and a comfortable acoustic environment,” Hasanbhai notes.

www.armstrong.com

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management April/May 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.