An acoustic system from Sto has been specified for a £7.5 million museum redevelopment project in London. The StoSilent Distance system has been installed in the Garden Museum, which is Britain’s only museum covering the art, history and design of gardens, located at the Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. “We specified
The offices of Hesselbrand, a major architectural practice in London, have benefited from the installation of over 200 m2 of the StoSilent Direct acoustic system from Sto, which was specified for its outstanding acoustic performance, ease of installation and attractive aesthetic appearance. The offices are located in a refurbished warehouse,
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
An acoustic system from Sto has been specified for a £7.5 million museum redevelopment project in London. The StoSilent Distance system has been installed in the Garden Museum, which is Britain’s only museum covering the art, history and design of gardens, located at the Church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. “We specified the StoSilent Distance system for a number of reasons,” explained Alun Jones of Dow Jones Architects. “The building work involved the creation of a cluster of copper-clad pavilions around a cloistered garden area. These house two new educational spaces and a cafeteria, and they are connected by a number of covered walkways. These spaces feature concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling glazing, so in order to achieve an acoustic environment with a reverberation time of less than 0.8 seconds we used a Sto seamless acoustic ceiling. Having used the Sto solution on a previous project we were confident that it would be perfect for the museum, and Sto worked closely with us to create a balanced acoustic system which would satisfy all the different requirements.” The StoSilent Distance system provides a modern, clean, monolithic alternative to the standard options. It is ideal for situations where, as with the Garden Museum, these surfaces must be suspended to accommodate services, and where the ceilings were being used as negative plenums for air extraction and movement. The StoSilent Distance system utilises its own Sto SC400 metal framework, and StoSilent Distance 110 boards. The boards are manufactured from 96% recycled glass and can be integrated with lighting, grills and other M&E considerations. StoSilent boards are permeable, and have a honeycomb-like structure which allows noise and sound to dissipate through a void space and so balance the acoustic environment. StoSilent Distance is a lightweight system, and unlike exposed grid and soft tile alternatives, the boards will not sag or delaminate. It can be used to create many different design features, including seamless, inclined planes or curves, or sharp and consistent joints. The benefit to the architects and end user is that the system can also be repaired and refurbished throughout the lifetime of the building without greatly negating the value of the acoustics, wherever the system has been installed.
The offices of Hesselbrand, a major architectural practice in London, have benefited from the installation of over 200 m2 of the StoSilent Direct acoustic system from Sto, which was specified for its outstanding acoustic performance, ease of installation and attractive aesthetic appearance. The offices are located in a refurbished warehouse, where Hesselbrand shares the space with a visual art installations gallery. “The building features brick walls, polished concrete floors and large picture windows,” explained Patrick Morris from the Hesselbrand. “During the refurbishment project we wanted to create a modern, clean, minimalist, open-plan working area, and the products in their natural form complimented my thoughts for the final aesthetic. However, they have little or no acoustic value with regards to attenuation, reverberation and other considerations like foot traffic and speech clarity, so achieving the overall acoustic design and balance within our building was a major consideration.” The practice decided to choose the StoSilent Direct system after discussion on a number of solution and budget costs with Mike Wallace, Sto’s Technical Consultant for Acoustics. The system offers a particularly effective option for this type of project as it can be applied directly onto walls and ceilings. The system features a porous texture and sandwich structure which provides excellent sound absorption characteristics, and it is finished in StoSilent Décor M. This classic fine-stipple finish is spray-applied and can be tinted to match a wide range of colours, a benefit to both the installer and main contractor as there is no mixing or tinting on site. “The results were a huge success. The acoustic balance we achieved within the overall environment is very noticeable, making the space more comfortable to be in. Speech clarity is also improved, so communication between ourselves and clients is complemented, particularly with face-to-face and telephone discussions. Overall a much more relaxed atmosphere has been achieved,” said Patrick.
