Acoustical Ceiling Comforts Patients

from commARCH - January February 2015

by IdeaSoil

Back To School With Polymer Roofing

Patterned roofing

EDITORS’ CHOICE

FiberTite Brite:

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Careful attention to acoustic design at Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children in Birmingham, AL, created an atmosphere that calms patients and makes them feel at ease. Photo: CertainTeed.

Acoustical Ceiling Comforts Patients

Sound-absorbing ceiling system makes pediatric hospital patients and their families feel at ease.

Before blueprints for the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children in Birmingham, AL, were drawn, the intent of those involved was to erect an iconic landmark that would set a new standard for pediatric healthcare in Alabama. The state-of-the-art facility was to stand out among all buildings in the vicinity, particularly in contrast to the Univ. of Alabama’s sprawling campus, which sits in close proximity. These goals were achieved, and then some.

All told, the project is the largest single medical-facility expansion in the history of Alabama; in fact, the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children is now the third-largest pediatric hospital in the United States by square footage. It hosts 332 beds and 48 NICU bassinets. The 12-story, 785,000-sq.-ft. building is also the first hospital in Alabama to be LEED Gold certified.

The hospital staff uses a family-centered approach to healthcare and tapped the potential of this expansion to help integrate that philosophy throughout the building. The design used color and structure to appeal to children of all ages. Patients, parents, and staff were consulted during the design ideation phase to make sure the facility would be childlike, but not

Left. The main corridor of the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children is a two-fl oor open-atrium space, 45-ft. tall from fl oor to ceiling. A sound-absorbing ceiling system keeps down unwanted refl ected noise. Photo: CertainTeed.

Right, top. The hospital design uses color and structure to appeal to children of all ages. The goal was to make sure the facility would be childlike, but not childish. Photo: CertainTeed.

Right, above. The hospital is the largest single medical-facility expansion in the history of Alabama, and it is the third-largest pediatric hospital in the United States by square footage. Photo: CertainTeed.

childish. After all, a 2-yr.-old girl patient should feel as comfortable as an 18-yr.-old boy patient.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS A family’s first impression of a hospital’s environment is often made upon entering the facility. An acoustically sound space can help calm its occupants and make patients and their families feel more at ease and cared for, ultimately increasing positive outcomes.

The main corridor of the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children is a two-floor open-atrium, 45-ft. tall from floor to ceiling. Occupants can look over the second-floor balcony to foot traffic on Main Street, the name given to the first-floor hallway that lies just beneath. However, the corridor’s beautiful terrazzo floor and expansive windows, while appealing to the eye, can be less appealing to the ear.

Designers understood that the noise that would inevitably bounce off these reflective surfaces could not only negatively affect patients, but could also impact medical-staff effectiveness. Poor acoustics are also notorious for preventing private conversations from remaining private. They certainly do not create calm environments. To counter these unwanted effects, the hospital and architects knew an acoustical, sound-absorbing ceiling system would be the best and only option for this space.

Naturally the ceiling would also have to align aesthetically with the design. In this case, the ceiling was required to work with the hospital’s curved interior walls.

A SOUND SOLUTION To meet these requirements, international architecture fi rm HKS Inc., Dallas, specifi ed sound-absorbent Claro ceiling panels that were to be installed in a unique Ceilencio suspended grid from Decoustics, the custom acoustic-product division of CertainTeed Ceilings, Valley Forge, PA.

The products have a reputation for acoustic and aesthetic performance. However, the hospital needed reassurance that such custom-tailored products would stand up to the rigors of a busy hospital environment.

David Cantrell, director of engineering for the expansive facility, was initially concerned that the beauty of the approximately 300 custom-cut ceiling panels would be easily compromised by water leaks from valves in the plenum. “In commercial buildings you

get leaks from different valves over time, so to prevent that from becoming an issue for these custom panels we moved the valves from this space to another room,” he explained.

With this early-on decision, Cantrell was comfortable that the risk of water damage occurring to the panels would be minimized and felt good about moving forward with the specified ceiling.

“Once this compromise was made, these panels have turned into a good product for us,” he said.

The ceiling helps create a calm, family-centered environment in the atrium by reducing echo and overall noise transmissions from building occupants and equipment. “Acoustics is one of the main reasons we went with this tile. We also wanted a smooth ceiling and these big panels, without many lines, give that effect,” said Cantrell.

Specifically, Claro is an acoustically transparent coating on acoustic panels that provides sound-absorbing qualities. It has the classic appearance of drywall or plaster and can be custom color matched to any paint chip. For this project, the panels’ facing and edges were finished in blue and white tones that, when coupled with the curvature of the custom ceiling, subtly lend an open-air appeal to the space, Cantrell said.

These particular panels also feature exceptional light reflectance, which helps the facility play up the abundance of windows that allow soothing natural light into the building. In fact, on a standard white panel, Claro has a 90% light reflectance. This combination minimized the amount of lighting that needed to be installed in the interior.

The lovely, curving shape of the ceiling was made possible by the Ceilencio Ceiling System, which can be engineered into virtually any geometric pattern. It’s an acoustical-ceiling suspension system that consists of proprietary concealed extruded-aluminum grid and panels, with individualized butterfly clips, custom made for each application. At the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children, the Ceilencio system helped architects address the challenge presented by the hospital’s curved interior walls. The system also features a unique torsion-spring mechanism that enables the individual panels to be hinged down for convenient access to the plenum.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER “It’s been several years since the ceiling was installed, and it looks like the panels were installed yesterday. It still provides that clean atmosphere, and it has met our expectations for acoustics. The ceiling does quiet the noise,” said Cantrell.

The ceiling’s seamless, lightly hued design and acoustical properties help Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children achieve the goal of helping foster a family-centered approach to care through thoughtful design. CBP

DATA CACHE

Want more information? The resources below are linked in our digital magazine at cbpmagazine.com/digital/janfeb2015.

Circle 2 on the Reader Service Card.

Listen to Gary Madaras talk about hospital acoustics in a Listen to Gary Madaras talk about hospital acoustics in a Commercial Conversation podcast. Commercial Conversation podcast.

Visit a CertainTeed microsite to learn about the Visit a CertainTeed microsite to learn about the importance of acoustics. importance of acoustics.

Get more information about the company’s efforts in environmental acoustics design.

Download a brochure about Claro panels.

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EDITORS’ CHOICE

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