Details: Gordonstoun Moving Panels

Regional Award Entry for Moray

Details

Acoustic Moveable Wall Panels, South Room, Gordonstoun House for Gordonstoun Schools Ltd

Regional Award Entry :  Short-listed & Commended

The design task to sub-divide the South Room at Gordonstoun House seemed a quite straightforward one initially. However given some consideration it became apparent a number of problems had to be overcome to ensure a satisfactory outcome.

Firstly to achieve a satisfactory sound reduction desired between the two rooms would require a heavy folding partition or wall panels.

Secondly the structure to provide either floor support or head support would have to be taken into account in this ‘A’ Listed Historic building.

Thirdly the removal of the stage which had been incorporated by the School some years earlier required re-evaluation of fire exit routes and detailed consideration of the building fabric of this nationally important property.

The design solution of an acoustic wall panel system was balanced with the need to provide sufficient depth of structure beneath the line of the existing cornice such that the existing historic fabric was left undisturbed.

On detailed examination around the west doors the original facings and panels appeared to be left insitu when the stage had been built such that only two new small timber panels over the relocated doors were needed to accommodate the removal of the stage.

Thus the provision of the acoustic screen provided the School with two separate spaces allowing basically pupil use of one space and staff use of the second space or with the opening up of the panels as use as a combined space.

Mon 1st Mar 2010