East Renfrewshire Council is making significant investment to meet the Scottish Government’s legislative requirements to expand their early years provision by 2020. As part of the Council’s ambitious expansion plan, the new Arthurlie Family Centre offers 120 morning and 120 afternoon places for children aged between three and five, and spaces for community use. A mixture of acoustic ceilings and ceiling rafts from Knauf AMF are specified throughout to help create a visually appealing and comfortable auditory environment.
The entrance to Arthurlie Family Centre has a steep pitched roof designed to allow light to flood in, it also gave the architect the opportunity to make a feature of the exposed timber structure. AMF Topiq Sonic ceiling rafts are fitted here. East Renfrewshire Council Senior Architect Marie Mullen explains why, “Lining the roof soffit with hard plasterboard would have produced unpleasant echos, so I specified square shaped AMF Topiq Sonic ceiling rafts to improve the acoustics. Either side of the entrance porch are two informal meeting areas where circular shaped AMF Topiq Sonic rafts are suspended on long wires to create an intimate feel and provide acoustic privacy.”
Marie Mullen goes on to explain further challenges, “There’s a rest area where younger children can take a nap situated between two playrooms. To assist staff with the supervision of this space, I wanted to produce a feeling of enclosure by dropping the ceiling level. Circular AMF Topiq Sonic rafts overlap at varying heights giving the impression of clouds which help create a calming atmosphere.”
AMF Topiq Sonic are frameless, monolithic ceiling rafts which offer excellent sound absorption and humidity resistance. Suspended by simple, discreet cable hangers, the rafts create a weightless, elegant structure. Manufactured in a range of shapes and custom colours, AMF Topiq Sonic rafts offer architects and designers even greater design choice as well as superior performance.
The nursery’s seven playrooms require a robust ceiling tile that offers outstanding sound absorption and high light reflectance. Thermatex Alpha fitted the brief perfectly with its Class A sound absorbing surface helping improve speech intelligibility in these spaces. The 88% light reflectance of Thermatex Alpha helps achieve the architect’s vision of light and open interior spaces.
The anti-bacterial properties and 100% humidity resistance of Thermatex Aquatec make it the ideal ceiling for the kitchen areas. It also offers excellent sound absorption and has a wipe-clean surface.
The architect is thrilled with the result. “I am very pleased with the finished look and would consider specifying Knauf AMF products for future projects.
