Walkergate Hospital - Varying range of systems
July 2007

NEUROLOGICAL UNIT’S THOUGHTFUL UTILISATION OF ECOPHON PERFORMANCE

The NHS is currently having to battle a daunting array of hospital super-bugs including MRSA and the Norwark virus meaning that cleanliness throughout the medical environment has become of greater importance than ever before. While much attention may focus on floors or bathrooms, Ecophon Limited is emphatic that the ceiling cannot be ignored by designers if these life threatening diseases are to be overcome.

In fact, providing easily washable and even anti-bacterial surfaces to suspended ceilings were one of several aspects of the technical specification for the recently competed Newcastle Neuro Services Centre. To meet the specifications Ecophon ceiling systems were selected over alternative product ranges.

The Neuro Services Centre brings together several smaller units within the Walkergate Hospital site.

The facility has been built by Clugston Construction, with P+HS Architects as the lead consultant. Heinz Manz GMBH and RSI were the installers of the Ecophon systems which included Focus D XL, Protec, Performance, Master Alpha D and Master Alpha C as well as Advantage A.

“We chose to utilise the Ecophon systems as acoustic performance and hygiene were considered key in the planning of the various interior spaces. We had also used Ecophon products successfully on another hospital project in Middlesbrough,” says The Project Architect at P+HS, Mr Stephen Elwen.

Large quantities of Advantage A have been installed in what were termed general areas such as administrative offices, where there were no specific clinical requirements. Focus D was selected for ‘resource’ areas such as waiting room alcoves and the connecting corridors. The Focus D XL made up the bulk of the corridor ceilings where its linear format offers a pleasing and complementary aesthetic.

Performance tiles were used to create a hygienic and easily washable soffit within dirty spaces such as sluice rooms where equipment is cleaned. For facilities where wound dressing and minor surgery are to be carried out, Protec was picked as the best specification. In some consulting or assessment rooms Master Alpha D was installed in a concealed grid to offer optimum acoustic performance. In a number of access rooms throughout the centre which rise the full three storey height of the building, it was deemed unnecessary to install a suspended ceiling. However, the designers still wanted to control the reverberation period and in these instances Master Alpha C Direct Fix were secured to the soffit.