Moray Council HQ

In Scotland, the Moray Council moved into smart new headquarters following the renovation conversion of a dilapidated former supermarket on Elgin’s high street.

Quiet counsel

It was awarded a BREEAM “excellent” rating for its environmentally friendly credentials. The skylights ensure work areas benefit from plenty of natural daylight, reducing the requirement for artificial lighting. Directional air vents from the roof, rather than air-conditioning, provide ventilation.

These design features meant a traditional suspended ceiling was not suitable, but with over 220 staff working in the main open-plan area, noise levels needed to be controlled. Taking a cue from the way leaves give a forest its serenity and soft porous moss absorbs sounds from a stream, 68 Rockfon Eclipse ceiling islands were suspended throughout the main office and 126m2 of Sonar Activity B-edge tiles were directly fixed to the bulkheads. The frameless islands have a minimalistic but sharp-looking edge. They absorb sound from both sides of the panel and let air circulate freely all around.