Versapanel®, Euroform’s cement particle board, has been specified for its acoustic properties as a roofing system component for what is set to be one of the UK’s largest film and TV studios, Shinfield Studios, at the Thames Valley Science Park.
Shinfield Studios is a state of the art, purpose-built studio facility close to Reading in Berkshire. Phase 1, comprising four sound stages, workshops and offices is in operation having opened last year. Phase 2, to add five new sound stages, workshops and offices is opening across the coming months. When Shinfield Studios is complete it will offer film and television producers over one million square feet of studio space with 18 sound stages and complimentary facilities.
The project is designed by international design practice Scott Brownrigg and being delivered by contractors, including Curo Construction. Vertec, a leading specialist in facades, roofing and cladding, is constructing the building envelopes for the studios.
Protection against noise is important in modern construction design, but at Shinfield Studios it is crucial to the purpose of the studio buildings. Versapanel® is used extensively in construction where acoustic control is essential.
Specified by scheme architects Scott Brownrigg, approximately 17,000 square metres of Euroform’s Versapanel® is being incorporated by Vertec as an element, along with acoustic matting and mineral fibre products, to the acoustic roof construction across the studios.
“Versapanel® has advantages over other types of board materials due to its strength, workability, durability and high performance in the presence of moisture, but, in this project where acoustic performance is so important, it is Versapanel’s sound reduction properties that were key to meeting the brief,” said Euroform’s national commercial manager Mark Atkinson.
Versapanel® has a minimum density of 1300kg per M3 providing superior acoustic performance when used in construction of walls, floors, ceilings or roofs. A single Versapanel® board provides airborne sound reduction of between 30 dB and 36 dB, depending on board thickness which ranges from 8mm up to 28mm.
Versapanel® can be used in single sheet or sandwich construction. At Shinfield Studios, to achieve the building design’s demanding decibel reduction objectives it has been specified as a multiple layer, contributing to the effectiveness of the acoustic system in the pitched steel roofs at Shinfield Studios.
A versatile building board, Versapanel® is widely used in acoustic roofs, ceilings and floors, but also as sheathing panel for steel frame systems, for external wall insulation and for partition walls. It can be found in a wide range of commercial, residential and public sector buildings, including offices, schools, hospitals, libraries and hotels.
