St Nicholas School
The Challenge
Situated in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, St. Nicholas Priory Junior School accommodates over 380 pupils. As part of an overall review of the school’s facilities to improve the quality of the shared spaces, architects Manalo & White assessed the areas of the building that could be improved or expanded. During the review, the 100-seat dining room was identified as a key area which could be enhanced by reducing reverberation times and eliminating the cacophony of sound associated with such spaces.
The Solution
Architects on the project, Manalo & White, specified CMS SuperPhon panels, a high performance retrospective acoustic treatment, to reduce the noise generated by the metal cutlery and general conversations in the dining room.
Manufactured by CMS Acoustic Solutions, SuperPhon panels comprise sound-absorbing, non-combustible mineral board, covered with a high quality open weave fabric. With the option of standard or bespoke sizes and thickness, Manalo & White selected 1.2m x 0.5m size panels at 25mm thick to achieve the level of reverberation control required within the dining room. Installed in a band around the top perimeter of the wall and in the light-wells in the ceiling, the SuperPhon panels were fixed onto timber battens, creating an air gap for additional sound absorption properties.
As a versatile acoustic system, CMS SuperPhon panels can be designed to either complement the existing décor or be used as an attractive feature or focal point, which is particularly useful when the treatment is to be applied retrospectively. In addition to the broad range of standard fabric colours offered, panels can be colour matched to any chosen fabric. At St. Nicholas Priory Junior School, six colours from the standard range, Belize, Madura, Bermuda, Tortuga, Solano and Diablo, were used in a repeating pattern around the walls.
Results
Brian Greathead, architect at Manalo & White, comments: “CMS SuperPhon panels were ideal for St. Nicholas Priory Junior School, combining excellent acoustic absorption properties with an aesthetically pleasing finish. The panels provided a functional and attractive solution for the dining room at the school.”
Ideal for the educational environment, SuperPhon panels can also be installed in teaching spaces to enable schools to achieve compliance with BB93 regulations.
With a lightweight structure and flexibility of design, the SuperPhon range is also suitable for a wide variety of applications including recording studios, offices, cinemas, theatres and leisure centres.
Product Case Study
