AIA COURSE TITLE: Customizable Acoustical Solutions for Open Plenum Design
COURSE SPONSOR: CertainTeed Architectural
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Examine the importance of acoustical design for open spaces and how free-hanging and directmounted ceiling systems provide acoustic control.
2. Identify how to transform a space using customizable metal ceiling systems for open plenums.
3. Assess how to enhance open plenums with wood ceiling systems.
4. Describe how to design with innovative fiberglass ceiling systems, including oversized panels, clouds, and baffles, to achieve dramatic, sculptural design.
5. Explore how to use felt ceiling systems to maximize acoustics and aesthetics.
COURSE FORMAT: AIA Article hosted by Hanleywood University
COURSE CREDIT: One AIA Learning Unit for Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW)
READ ARTICLE: Click Here
ARTICLE PREVIEW:
ACOUSTICAL DESIGN FOR OPEN SPACES Modern open spaces create a unique set of challenges when it comes to acoustics. For the past several decades, historic factories, warehouses, and other buildings with open floor plans have been converted into offices, studios, retail, or living spaces. The adaptive reuse of these buildings is a trend that is not going away, and it can pose challenges when the purpose of a building is fundamentally changed to meet different occupant needs. Noise control was not part of the design when most of these buildings were constructed, and now that they’re being used for offices and living spaces that require varying degrees of privacy and quiet, optimizing acoustics is paramount.
New buildings are also being designed with open plans and open plenums. These tactics provide industrial flair to a space, but often lead to an uncomfortable acoustic environment. The use of glass, wood, metal, polished stone, concrete, and other acoustically reflective materials can further exacerbate this problem. In addition, the numerous benefits of daylighting buildings have been studied extensively, which has led to more open floor plans where daylight can spill across the entire space, or soaring atriums that flood lobbies and other public spaces with natural light. READ FULL ARTICLE
