University of Birmingham

Project Description

The University of Birmingham is a public research university, which ranks inside the top 100 universities globally coming in at #13 in 2020. The recently completed development of The School of Engineering demonstrates the university’s commitment to providing first class education.

This state-of-the-art 12,000sqm facility spans five floors, features a double-height atrium and a defined design focus on agile and collaborative working between academics, researches, students and staff. With such an open air design, acoustics were a crucial consideration during the design process.

Resonics were contracted to design, supply and install a comprehensive range of acoustic solutions during the project which covered multiple areas. With such large and open spaces, a combination of various ceiling and wall systems were used to control the reverberation within the various learning environments.

Some key design points from an acoustics point of view; no traditional grid and tile or MF ceilings were used anywhere, meaning hanging acoustic baffles were required to control reverberation and noise in all areas. This also means that all services are exposed and easily accessible for maintenance, which reduces the costs over the long term. This exercise in thinking differently about traditional building practice to improve spaces holistically.