100m men’s breaststroke Olympic Gold medallist, Adam Peaty, opened the £9m Holly Hill Leisure Centre to the huge excitement of Fareham residents who had successfully campaigned for a new community pool in the area. Holly Hill has a 25m swimming pool, learner pool, gymnasium, exercise rooms and dance studio. Knauf Ceiling Solutions provided acoustic solutions to help create a facility fit for future olympic athletes.

Swimming pools are often very noisy places. The sound reverberates off the hard surfaces back into the humid air. High humidity amplifies sound making the noise level seem even higher. Philip Lyons at Space&Place architects specified HERADESIGN® wood wool wall absorbers for the swimming pool hall to reduce and manage the noise level, creating a comfortable sound environment.

“As a practice, we have specified HERADESIGN® for many different projects and have always been pleased with the results. Knauf Ceiling Solutions offers a solution for every interior which is why they are often our first port of call. We have a very good working relationship with the company, their specifications are clear, with good details, and we are familiar with their products which are cost effective.”

HERADESIGN® is fitted along the upper portion of the main wall in the pool hall to provide maximum sound absorption (Class A). HERADESIGN® helps control the ambient sound level, reduces reverberation and improves speech intelligibility.

High humidity also posed a challenge when selecting a suitable sound absorbent material. Any material used in a wet environment must be able to withstand fluctuations in air humidity and temperature. HERADESIGN® is 90% humidity resistant which ensures the acoustic panels remain dimensionally stable making it ideal for wet areas. For additional protection from mould and bacteria, HERADESIGN® is manufactured with a specialist resistant coating.

The aesthetics of the pool interior are also important. Philip Lyons was attracted to how well HERADESIGN® could integrate with the pool hall’s interior design.

“We know HERADESIGN® appeals to many architects because of the colour options available and its woven texture. But for this project we wanted the panels to blend in and harmonise with the interior. It is great that Heradesign offers this versatility.”

HERADESIGN® provides a visual contrast to the pool’s many hard surfaces thanks to its organic, textured appearance. Manufactured from sustainable wood wool, HERADESIGN® adds a tactile quality to the finished interior. HERADESIGN® also offers design flexibility as it can be ordered in any colour and fitted as wall absorbers, ceilings, baffles or canopies, enabling architects to realise even the most creative ideas.

The dance studio is another area of the leisure centre that required sound control to help improve speech intelligibility. THERMATEX®Alpha mineral ceiling tiles were chosen for their Class A sound absorption, enabling the instructor and dancers to hear one another above the music. The bright white surface of THERMATEX® Alpha provides 88% light reflection, helping to create a pleasant environment.