Improving acoustic clarity in a specialist healthcare environment
This is a Pathfinder school built under the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) scheme and the first of 3 projects that Style was selected for by Skanska Essex BSF. Working with contractor JJ Sweeney (to Skanska) and architects Penoyre & Prasad, Style was appointed to help the school maximise the use of its space […]
This is a Pathfinder school built under the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) scheme and the first of 3 projects that Style was selected for by Skanska Essex BSF. Working with contractor JJ Sweeney (to Skanska) and architects Penoyre & Prasad, Style was appointed to help the school maximise the use of its space by enabling the theatre and certain classrooms to be sub-divided with speed and ease.
The demand for space in schools changes frequently in line with the multitude of student activities, and a key criteria was that rooms could be altered effortlessly in preparation for the next lesson or event. Offering moveable walls up to 14.5m high, sound reductions up to Rw 60 dB and a 90 minute fire rating DORMA Variflex was deemed the most suitable solution as it offered Belfairs a complete solution including ease of manoeuvre, privacy, safety and aesthetics.
Three 11500mm wide x 6500mm high operable walls were installed in the theatre in a black finish to suit the surroundings, one was installed in a white finish at the front of theatre and four were used in the classrooms.
“By installing ‘easy to operate’ moveable walls of the right quality and finish transforms a room and offers immense benefits to schools, colleges and universities,” said Keith Way, Style’s Director for the South East.’
“Immediately, a single open space can be turned into a number of smaller rooms and back again, offering schools tremendous versatility. It also ensures room usage and occupation is maximised which is vital for benefiting both the students and the school budget.”
Talk to us about your acoustic goals — we’ll help you design a solution that sounds as good as it looks.
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HBN 00-09 sets out these surface characteristics because unsealed joints are a recognised place for moisture and micro-organisms to collect. A genuinely joint-free edge is designed to address that specific detail.
This is a surface and edge specification, not a clinical claim. Zero-joint technology has not been evaluated or certified by NHS England, and does not claim to reduce infection rates.
Food-service and guest-facing areas are typically inspected under hygiene and housekeeping standards that look closely at surfaces and joints. A seamless, moisture-resistant edge is designed with exactly that kind of scrutiny in mind.
Every one of these sectors shares the same underlying surface problem: a bonded-strip edge is a seam, and a seam is a place where dirt, moisture or wear can concentrate in a way a continuous surface can't. Zero-joint technology addresses that one structural detail across offices, schools, healthcare and hospitality settings alike — one construction detail, one shared weak point removed, four sectors that each care about it for their own reasons.
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