Transforming the historic Louis Williams Hall at Firbank Grammar

The challenge and solution:

As a large, cavernous space with naturally hard and reflective surfaces, acoustics presented as a significant challenge early in the design process. As Ben states, “I wanted to ensure that sound was an asset not a barrier when experiencing the voluminous space.” Acoustically it needed to meet a nuanced set of needs for students and teachers as well as deliver on an ambitious target of being a key public space and learning environment.

Working collaboratively alongside PTID, our design team explored the challenges and opportunities for acoustics to be sensitively integrated into the existing heritage fabric. The outcome was a custom ceiling solution utilising strips of 12 mm Cube™ Acoustic Panel in Parthenon shaped into a honeycomb pattern. Each strip was fixed at various points using extrusions, then secured to a backing panel and fixed to the ceiling. The honeycomb pattern creates an eye-catching and modern sculptural feature that contrasts the surrounding brick surfaces and adds depth to the vast space. As Ben explains, “The acoustic performance is a custom response both aesthetically, as a contemporary insertion into a heritage fabric, but also functionally, to deliver high-performing attenuation to a heritage building with largely reverberant surfaces.”