Knauf products transform education in Kent

Innovative products from Knauf Drywall are enabling pioneering teaching methods to be used at two new schools built in Maidstone, Kent at a cost of £54 million.

Neither the New Line Learning Academy, at Loose, nor its sister school Cornwallis Academy, at Linton, have conventional classrooms but instead are built around “learning plazas”: open-plan spaces that are a storey-and-a-half high, with a mezzanine floor to accommodate up to 120 pupils. Three Knauf products – Apertura Perforated Plasterboard, Soundshield and Impact Panel – ensure that these vast teaching spaces still meet the strict standards laid down by Building Bulletin 93: Acoustic Design of Schools, despite being more than twice the volume of a conventional classroom.

Ceilings in the learning plazas and stairwells are lined with Knauf Apertura 8/18 Square Perforated Plasterboard, which minimises reverberation in large areas. In addition to its excellent acoustic properties, Knauf Apertura is joined with the Knauf Uniflott tapeless system, which provides a unique seamless ceiling finish. Knauf Apertura is available 17 different styles, with white or black backing fleece.

The various types of partition walls in the academies provide AA to BB dB(Rw) airborne sound reduction to comply with BB93 and are based on the Knauf Performer range of partitions optimised for educational buildings. In areas of high traffic where walls are vulnerable to bumps and scrapes, Impact Panel is used rather than Soundshield while stairwell walls and riser shafts are lined using the Knauf Shaftwall system, With Knauf ‘CT’ Studs, Knauf Coreboard and Knauf Fireshield. 

The newly completed £24 million New Line Learning Academy is designed for 1,050 business, enterprise and vocational studies students aged 11 to 18 while the £30 million Cornwallis Academy, for 1,630 students focusing on science and languages, is due to open in September 2011.

Knauf Drywall has developed a range of proven systems that meet the specific design challenges for walls, ceilings and floors set by schools and colleges, which mainly concern the acoustic characteristics, fire performance and durability of materials. Its Project and Specification team is well versed in the design requirements of education projects and can provide hands-on support and advice throughout on larger projects.

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