Care sector accommodation specialist Castleoak has specified and installed Metsä Wood’s SoundBar System for the first time. The high-performance acoustic flooring solution is helping Castleoak to overcome both sound transmission and movement challenges at its site at Hopton in Norfolk. The system, which comprises Metsä Wood’s Finnjoist, an acoustic flooring board and a Gyvlon screed from the Lafarge Group, was selected for its superior sound performance, speed of installation and the solid floor feel it provides occupants.
Designed and built by Castleoak for long-standing client Barchester Healthcare, the Hopton care home project started in June 2012 and is due for occupation this summer. It is a 60-bed facility and accommodation is split between two buildings. Block A is a two-storey structure, while block B comprises just a single storey. Both are timber frame structures, with a brick skin and around 1,000m2 of the SoundBar System has been installed as the intermediate floor solution in block A.
"We generally build around 12 care facilities every year and use built-up timber frame systems, which provide excellent flexibility and efficiencies through the build programme," said Dean Richards, project director for Castleoak. "They also result in a high quality operational building with very strong energy performance credentials, underpinned with the environmental reassurances that certified sustainable timber provides.
"However, sound transmission can provide us with a challenge within these buildings, where a solid timber joist floor has been installed and if movement occurs between intermediate floor installation and building completion. So we started to look at ways of achieving a more solid floor feel with improved overall performance.
The 1,000m2 of the SoundBar System was installed at the Hopton care home in just three days, halving the time of more traditional systems used on previous projects.
The Finnjoist offers structural rigidity, both throughout the build and for the operational life of the building, while the SoundBar board combines structural with sound performance. Specialist screeder the ALD Group poured the screed to complete the installation.
The care home sector is a viable market for growth and the market is already worth £15bn. The construction of a care home comes with its own set of criteria and caveats, yet specifiers, developers and contractors in any sector will recognise the pressures.
"Speed of construction is vital," said Kevin Riley, vice-president construction industry for Metsä Wood. "Utilising systems that can be installed swiftly helps to support an efficient build programme, with completion and therefore paid occupancy sooner.
"Performance is key too," he continued. "The SoundBar System is a Robust Detail solution, carrying the reassurance that it exceeds the legislative standard for sound performance, with no requirement for pre-completion testing. Indoor environment and occupant comfort is perhaps one of the most subjective demands of a build. The SoundBar System supports the need to create operational spaces that are functional and comfortable, through great sound performance and the sensation of a solid floor construction. In this way the SoundBar System provides the solution to multiple problems."
