Skibbereen Community School, situated on the southern tip of Ireland in County Cork, is a new state-of-the art learning facility created as part of an ambitious multi-million PPP programme. ROCKFON ceiling solutions were installed to help create the ideal conditions for learning and enhance the architect’s contemporary design.
ROCKFON ceiling systems were selected for Skibbereen because they either met or exceeded the acoustic requirements specified by the Department of Education. Fire safety was also an important factor and ROCKFON products provide Class A1 fire resistance, the safest fire classification.
Education buildings need to provide both functional and pleasant spaces. Major contributors to this are light and sound. ROCKFON® Artic™ satisfies these requirements which is why it was installed in classrooms, offices and circulation spaces. ROCKFON Artic tiles have a smooth, white surface which offers optimum light reflection, contributing to a comfortable environment with low glare and reduced eye disturbance. ROCKFON Artic also provides enhanced sound absorption (0.8aw) to ensure teachers can communicate so that students can perform at their best.
ROCKFON® Tropic™ D concealed edge ceiling tiles were specifically chosen for the special needs unit. Acoustics are an integral part of the design for these areas. ROCKFON Tropic provides Class A sound absorption which helps create a learning environment that offers optimum speech intelligibility which is essential for all children, but particularly those with learning difficulties.
The white, smooth surface of ROCKFON Tropic ceiling tiles offers 85% light reflectance and full light diffusion helping make effective use of available natural light. These excellent lighting conditions help improve the working environment and contribute to a reduction in energy costs. Aesthetically the tiles were the perfect fit because the white surface finish enhances the school’s minimalist design.
Cillian Laide from Laide & O’Brien is a member of the ROCKFON Active Installer network of preferred installers. Cillian fitted all the ceilings at Skibbereen School. “Meeting deadlines is easy with ROCKFON. Their products were available from stock, so we received sufficient tiles in just one delivery for the whole job. ROCKFON tiles are durable but at the same time easy to cut and install, so there’s very little waste on the job. We installed Chicago Metallic T24 Click 2890 from ROCKFON as it is quick to install and resilient to work with.”
SIG Ireland supplied the ceiling tiles. A leading distributor, SIG can deliver a range of ROCKFON acoustic products from stock via its branches in Ireland and across the UK.
ROCKFON’s expertise and technical support were welcomed on site. ROCKFON worked closely with the ceiling installer and architect to ensure everyone was happy with the outcome.
ROCKFON has an unrivalled level of experience in the education sector. With an impressive track record backed by in-house technical support, ROCKFON area managers can provide advice on how to create a school building that satisfies regulations and is an inspiring place to learn. For more information, contact ROCKFON at www.rockfon.co.uk.
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