Sustainable acoustic solution dampens the sound level in the new Viborg high school

In April, Midtbyens Gymnasium in Viborg was able to open its doors to expectant high school students. With this, Viborg Handelsgymnasium and Viborg Tekniske gymnasium are now gathered under one roof in the new modern high school building of just over 13,000 square meters spread over six floors.

Midtbyens Gymnasium, built by Mercantec, is located in the heart of Viborg city with bus and train station just behind. The new high school is adorned with brick baguettes in reddish shades and is connected by a railway bridge that brings the city closer to both the bus and train station by walking from here, through the city and on towards the pedestrian area in the city center.

Acoustic ceilings provide better learning

With room for more than 1,200 students and 130 employees, the sound level quickly becomes high, but this has been taken into account in the new high school building. Sound-absorbing Sonar M-boards from the acoustic manufacturer Rockfon are installed. Slabs that adorn the ceiling of most of the new building:

- The ceilings from Rockfon have been chosen with care for both acoustics, expression and service. We have chosen ceilings with a partially concealed rail system that gives a nice look and is the most optimal solution in terms of operation. It gives the school's service staff easy access to the attic area when needed. At the same time, the ceilings are crucial for the good acoustics and thus the good teaching and learning, says Jacob Hasse Rasmussen, construction manager at Rambøll, who has been a consultant on the construction.

In order to create the optimal framework for teaching, there has been a focus on reducing disturbing reverberation:

- Precisely because we are dealing with a high school, there are high demands for a short reverberation time, where the sound dies quickly in the rooms. It creates more peace and a better teaching that the students are not disturbed by reverberation, says Bo Jørgensen, project consultant at Rockfon.

Sustainable solution significantly minimizes waste

The supplier of the acoustic ceilings has also had sustainability in mind, and recyclable solutions without waste have been considered. It has left its green mark on Midtbyens Gymnasium:

- With our innovative recycle scheme, we take everything back for recycling. We continuously collected all excess cuts from the acoustic panels in containers and drove it back to production, where it is recycled into new products. Thus, there is no waste, everything is recycled, says Bo Jørgensen.

The ceiling tiles are made of rock wool, which is a sustainable material with several benefits. Among other things, it increases fire safety in high school:

- In addition to the acoustic properties, emphasis has been placed on the product's fire safety. This type of acoustic ceiling is the best fire-fighting product on the market. The long burn-through time on rock wool gives extra time to leave the building if the accident should occur, Bo Jørgensen concludes.

In Viborg's new high school, the choice has thus fallen on environmentally friendly acoustic ceilings that combine sustainability, design and acoustics in one solution.