Project Category: Leisure & Hospitality

Project goals: Reduce noise levels and allow visitors with sensory disabilities to enjoy the Winchester Science Centre.

Due to the centre being constructed from concrete, steel and glass it offers panoramic views of the South Downs National Park. With an abundance of hard surfaces, meant that sounds bounced around the building and created a constant noise and was bothersome for many visitors but overwhelming for those with sensory disabilities.

From a calming Baffle wave installation above the welcome area to fun pink Acoustic panels over the café to an exclusively designed acoustic tree with Ecophon Freedom leaves shaped like those of the English Oak, each set of acoustics focus on solving sound problems, improving ambient noise and providing an aesthetically pleasing environment for visitors.

Ecophon provided many of the different materials inc.

• Laser cut leaves to hang freely above the oak tree seating area.
• Wave system to tackle the noise of excited children entering the building.
• Checker patch pink solo rafts above the Café seating

Gypsum also installed Wooley Shepard clouds and relocated the £1m glider exhibition.
With the challenge of working heights up to 15m Gypsum operatives had additional training to operate Spider lifts to access the works from a Mezz floor build up.

Comprising of a North and South building the spaces are used for art exhibitions and theatrical shows. Due to the large open spaces acoustics products were a great addition. Gypsum operatives were flown to Antwerp, Belgium where there were trained in how to install the Mono Acoustic ceilings at the Rockfon Headquarters.