Armstrong offers a master class in ceilings

A three-tier guide to ceiling and wall systems appropriate for the particularly demanding environments of educational buildings has been launched by the UK's leading interior solutions provider, Armstrong Ceilings.

Schools and universities have to meet a plethora of acoustical, Health and Safety, indoor quality and maintenance criteria but at the same time as these needs are paramount so too is the student experience in contemporary education.

To meet these requirements, Armstrong (a member of the BCSE - British Council for School Environments - and sponsor of the Big School Makeover programme) has produced a three-pronged education kit that reassures architects and specifiers of its continuing commitment to this sector.

The kit comprises an "Education segment" brochure, education interactive flash http://www.armstrong-ceilings.co.uk/commclgeu/eu1/uk/gb/ and updated education CPDs.

These three tools advise how the staff experience, as well as the student one, can be designed into education spaces using mineral, metal and wood ceiling and wall systems and canopies to optimise factors such as acoustics, natural daylight, Health and Safety, and longevity.

The 20-page "Education segment" brochure has been designed to simplify the specification process and advises specifically on acoustic solutions for education spaces ranging from classrooms and quiet areas such as libraries, through offices and corridors, to humid areas such as canteens, toilets and cloakrooms.

And as architects are increasingly interested in environmentally-friendly solutions, it also details the recycled content of appropriate solutions, with Armstrong's Optima canopies coming out top of the class at 82% recycled content.

Case studies detailing how Armstrong solutions helped specifiers meet education performance criteria such as sound absorption and attenuation, scratch, humidity and fire resistance, and washability at sites such as Bolsover and Brooksbank Schools, Harton Technology College, and Southampton Solent and Oxford Universities, are contained within the brochure.

The interactive education flash presentation http://www.armstrong-ceilings.co.uk/commclgeu/eu1/uk/gb/ gives viewers the option to find appropriate solutions for individual education spaces.

They are then advised on the performance criteria of these rooms, with PDFs available to download, and examples through case studies of how these have been put into practice. The case studies are also accessible directly from the home page if required.

A total of four CPDs detail Armstrong's education philosophy ABLE (A Better Learning Environment), the role suspended ceilings play in acoustics, suspended ceilings and the environment, and a guide to building acoustics.

ENDS