Alfred McAlpine - Chester Police custody suite
The Challenge
Alfred McAlpine realised near completion of its new build police
custody suite in Chester that the construction would not meet the
acoustic requirements set out in BB93. This was further
compounded by the fact that the development had to conform to
Home Office specification by using a carpet floor finish, concrete
blockwork partitions and plastered walls.
To avoid having to seek planning permission to change the specification of the build, Alfred McAlpine consulted CMS Acoustic Solutions to identify a retrospectively applied acoustic solution.
The Solution
It transpired that the acoustic performance was being
compromised by sound transmission between custody
suites and corridor walls. Assessing the project’s needs,
CMS recommended 12mm thick Vertiface Composition,
an acoustic wall covering designed to tackle
reverberated noise. The Vertiface Composition was
adhered directly to the corridor walls to absorb sound
and prevent passage between rooms.
Shaun Jones, contracts manager for Alfred McAlpine’s northern division, comments: “There were some issues with sound transmission between the interview/custody rooms and the corridors. Timescales meant we had to tackle this post-build. CMS supplied Vertiface Composition to soften the area and was able to turn this round within a week.”
Vertiface Composition is a retrospective and cost effective acoustic solution which is simple to install. Available in 30 colours, Alfred McAlpine chose Spearmint to finish the Chester custody suite.
Vertiface Composition is made from 100% polyester fibres thermally bonded in a non-woven matrix and laminated to a high density non-woven polyester backing. The range is available in a fine velour or rib finish. It is typically 10-25mm thick and is available in both rolls and tiles.
Results
Onsite testing at Chester Police station demonstrated
that BB93 compliance had been achieved. The
12mm material installed delivered a Noise Reduction
Coefficient of 0.4 and reduced the interior reverberated
noise by approximately 40 per cent.
When using the 25mm thick product, installing Vertiface Composition can achieve an absorption coefficient level of up to 0.8, exceeding the 0.7 required by BB93.
Based on the performance of Vertiface Composition at Chester police station, Alfred McAlpine used the wall covering system to overcome the same acoustic challenges at its Runcorn and Widnes custody suite developments.
Product Case Study
