SCOTTISH AQUATICS CENTRE BENEFITS FROM STO ACOUSTIC SOLUTION

The latest phase of a major sports village development has been completed with the inclusion of a highly effective acoustic attenuation system from Sto. The £18.2M Aberdeen Sports Village Aquatic Centre now features seamless StoSilent Distance acoustic systems in both its Diving Pool and Main Pool, ensuring that noise is kept to a minimum for swimmers and visitors alike.

The new Aquatic Centre includes a 10-lane, 50m Olympic standard pool with seating for 600 spectators, and a 25m x 16.5m Olympic standard diving pool. “Providing acoustic treatment for large swimming pools such as this can be especially challenging, as they are generally busy places with lots of noise,” says Sto’s Acoustic Technical Consultant, Mike Wallace. “The internal environment is also warm, moist and chlorine-heavy, and this can present its own set of problems, so the acoustic system that’s chosen really has to be well-proven and reliable.”

The StoSilent acoustic ceiling solution chosen for the Aquatic Centre is designed especially for demanding environments such as swimming pools. It is based on a StoSilent suspended grid made from steel, which was specially coated to protect against corrosion. This was covered with StoSilent Panel A-Tec Alu acoustic boards. Made from blown glass granulate, these boards are impervious to moisture. They also feature a factory-applied backing laminate which allows the boards to attenuate sound waves, and equally, prevents any air from flowing through them and causing marking or staining on the completed ceiling. The boards were then coated with StoSilent Décor M – a sound-permeable silicate acoustic coating which creates a seamless, clean and attractive appearance.

“The StoSilent solution was perfect for this project as it’s been proven on many previous applications,” explains Mike Wallace. “The two pool area ceilings feature a cube design with suspended lights, and the StoSilent Distance system was easily able to accommodate these features.”

The StoSilent Distance system allowed the creation of ceilings in both spaces that provide reliable and effective acoustic damping, but which have a finish that looks visually attractive and helps to distribute light around the pool areas.

Although they are light in weight, the StoSilent Distance boards can be worked with ordinary hand tools, which makes them quick and easy to install and provides valuable time savings on a large-scale project such as this, whilst enabling an exceptional standard of fit and finish. They offer a high degree of rigidity and will not rot or discolour, even in the damp pool environment.