Scoil Phádraig is a boy’s national school located in the village of Clane, Co. Kildare, that has been a cornerstone of the community since 1982. With capacity designed to accommodate 700 students across 24 classrooms and a SEN unit, the school is known for its commitment to holistic education, emphasising sports, music, science, and ICT as part of the curriculum. The Department of Education has funded the construction a new campus, to replace the existing school and upgrade the facilities.
CHALLENGE
The school’s new general-purpose hall, used for a variety of activities, was required to achieve the government-set standards for sound quality in educational settings.
The project presented several challenges. Work had to be scheduled outside of peak school times to avoid disrupting the busy academic year. The hall needed a reduction in reverberation time, as dictated by the Irish Department of Education’s Technical Guidance documents.
The new surface mounted exposed services also required the walls to be battened out to accommodate new acoustic installations.
SOLUTION
To meet these acoustic and logistical challenges, the school partnered with Zentia to specify Sonify Wall Absorbers as the solution. The choice was based on both the acoustic performance of the product and the expert project support Zentia provided.
The Sonify wall absorber panels are available in 35 colours and various shapes and sizes, allowing the school to integrate the panels as a design element while still meeting acoustic needs. For Scoil Phádraig, square Sonify wall absorbers were specified in white, alongside additional circle wall absorbers in a variation of colours such as yellow, blue, orange and purple to create a fun, lively space.
The panels featured a gridded and bonded installation style, with an air gap between the panel and wall. This setup provided additional sound absorption by capturing direct sound from conversation levels in the vertical plane. The panels were also an effective way to control ambient noise in the hall, creating a more pleasant acoustic environment conducive to group activities.
The installation was carried out by main contractors Ganson, ensuring minimal disruption to the school calendar.
The successful refurbishment of the hall at Scoil Phádraig has transformed the space into a vibrant, functional environment that meets the stringent sound quality standards required for educational settings. Through innovative design and expert collaboration with Zentia, the school has not only achieved significant improvements in sound absorption and noise control but also enhanced the aesthetic appeal of the hall.