LEARNING IN An acoustic flooring solution from Altro is reducing noise and enhanc
Altro Serenade acoustic flooring has been used throughout the new £17m Reach Free School, in Rickmansworth, providing the highest level of sound reduction and comfort underfoot.
The newly-constructed school has created places for 840 secondary level students in a cutting-edge environment. Architect ADP created a very modern design for the school, and reducing noise throughout the new building was a priority.
ADP Associate Director, Neil Lister, said: “Our concept for the school was an open-plan space with a lot of openings that connect the various floors. This meant the potential for noise and reverberation throughout the school was quite high, and we wanted to find ways to reduce that.
“We consulted an acoustician at the early stages of our design, and were advised that a flooring with an acoustic rating greater than 17dB would give us significant reduction in noise from footfall, chairs scraping in the classrooms and overall background noise volume.
“The school itself specified vinyl flooring rather than carpet, for robustness and ease of cleaning. It was also important for the school that the flooring would bring comfort underfoot.”
Altro Serenade flooring was recommended by Horizontal Limited, which installed the product. MD Jonathan Bown explained: “We needed a floor that not only had a high acoustic rating, but was also great looking, hardwearing, stylish, contemporary and very comfortable underfoot. I have been working with Altro for nearly
30 | PUBLIC SECTOR
25 years and I knew they had a product that would fit the bill and that quality would be guaranteed.
"At 3.9mm thick and with 19dB impact sound insulation, Altro Serenade fit the brief perfectly. It’s ideal for this type of busy, noisy environment where there is a great deal of foot traffic. Many manufacturers struggle to make good acoustic flooring that doesn’t mark or indent but, with Altro Serenade, Altro has cracked this issue with a superb quality product.
“I love this flooring and would fit it every day. It’s sublime looking, with a very luxurious look and feel that raises a floor above the ordinary. It has a great colour palette - the school selected the shade Encore; a pale grey with a good textural design that will hide marks and scuffs over time. It’s a good colour base which complements the strong school colours of teal blue and purple.
“For the installer it’s a very easy floor to work with and fit, and a vital point is that it withstands the immense wear and tear during installation and construction. Some types of flooring have to be replaced even before the project is handed over to the client, because it gets so scratched and damaged during the build. This can add a great deal of cost to a project. But Altro Serenade never marks or scratches and stays looking pristine throughout.
“We laid just over 1,500m2 of the flooring on the ground and first floor in all communal areas, stairs and classrooms, and
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
