Sandy Brown have been involved with phased refurbishment and new build works at St Paul’s Girls’ School since 2019.

Phase 1 consisted of refurbishment and redesign of music practice rooms. This included provision of new acoustic finishes, updated ventilation and introduction of sound insulating glazed fronts to improve visibility and natural light levels.

Phase 2 was the Centre for Design and Innovation also known as the Rosalind Franklin Wing which is a building designed to encourage collaboration across technology, design and creative learning. Completed at the end of 2024, the building comprises of a refurbishment of the existing Mercers’ Building with a new cross laminated timber structure, connecting to other parts of the school campus via glazed link corridors. The building comprises of a double height main Central Hall used for a range of activities including musical performances and assemblies bounded by pod spaces and teaching areas including the Immersive Studio which overlooks the main hall.

Our services have included the following:

Environmental noise survey and site inspections of the existing buildings
Input during planning with assistance provided in securing planning permission for various different elements
Acoustic design work from RIBA Stages 2 to 4
Guidance during RIBA Stage 5 Construction including carrying out site inspections
Acoustic commissioning measurements, including bespoke testing arrangements.
The scheme provided many challenges to overcome with the acoustic design. This included control of noise egress to residential properties bounding the School premises. The Central Hall and Immersive Studio were designed to accommodate uses with amplified sound, or musical performances. A hybrid ventilation system was used in the scheme using mechanical supply air which discharged via ventilation chimneys. A bespoke chimney arrangement was created to provide acoustic attenuation controlling egress to meet strict planning noise limits. This required design development with the whole design team to ensure that the chimneys would be suitable to meet MEP, acoustic and architectural requirements.

The building is constructed of a glulam structural frame and cross-laminated timber infill panelling which provided a more sustainable alternative to a concrete or steel construction. Bespoke acoustic performance requirements, which also met the standards of Building Bulletin 93, were set for the scheme. A high level of sound insulation was achieved through out, in particular to the Immersive Studio. This allows music and sound to be played at high levels, but low noise conditions are also required depending on the activities carried out. As such, providing a suitable level of sound insulation was critical to manage disturbance both to and from adjacent spaces. Careful detailing was required to ensure that these acoustic standards were achieved with a cross laminated timber construction.

Acoustic modelling was carried out using ODEON software for the large Central Hall space to review the sound absorbent treatment strategy and ensure that it is a suitable environment for the intended use. Different iterations of the design were reviewed in close collaboration with the Architect to produce a scheme that both met the acoustic requirements in line with Building Bulletin 93, and the architectural design intent.