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

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.