News

InstaCoustic chosen for Broadway Plaza apartments (18/10/2004)

Close to Birmingham city centre, CALA Homes has undertaken the residential element of a major redevelopment and regeneration of the buildings and surrounding site of the former children's hospital. Known as Broadway Plaza, this prestigious mixed use project involved the construction of various new commercial and leisure facilities together with the conversion of existing buildings and the construction of 114 new timber frame apartments. Each of these residential units has been fitted with high performance acoustic flooring and ceiling systems from sound insulation specialists, InstaCoustic.

Considerable on-site testing was carried out by acousticians, R.W. Gregory, to demonstrate both the performance levels and the cost-effectiveness of the InstaCoustic products. The InstaCoustic C40 cradle and batten system for concrete floors and AC90/2 concrete ceiling system were both specified and some 6000m2 were then installed by InstaCoustic for main contractor Linford Construction.

The floor system is constructed from wooden support battens fitted in to acoustic cradles, manufactured from recycled rubber, with the voids filled with acoustic insulation material, overlaid with sheets of flooring board. A particular advantage of the C40 system is that the floor height can be adjusted during installation to accommodate uneven areas in the original concrete and wooden floors and produce a completely level finish. The suspended ceiling system employs acoustic insulation fabric, dense barrier material and decoupling fibre fitted within a metal frame that has adjustable acoustic hangers.

The InstaCoustic insulation systems provide greatly improved sound reduction for both airborne and impact noise levels within the modern Broadway Plaza apartments, as well as creating level floors and complying with English Building Regulations, Document 'E'.

www.instagroup.co.uk