Collaboration is key
The practice has worked with Rockfon within the schools sector and has specified them for up-coming healthcare projects. It was this relationship that led them to ask whether Rockfon would be able to supply used ‘second life’ acoustic system elements for the refurbishment.
Rockfon Specification Manager, Alan Davies, “As luck would have it we did have Rockfon Contour® Baffles, Rockfon® Eclipse Islands and Rockfon Canva® Wall Panels that had been used for exhibition and demonstration purposes, which proved the perfect fit for White Arkitekter. Their ethos of circularity and re-use echoes our own as a company. Rockfon products are made with up to 38% recycled material in production centres whose priorities include minimising and re-using water, along with negating carbon impacts in manufacture and transportation. In addition, Rockfon Systems can be dismantled and recycled.”
Unfussy elegance with high performance
All Rockfon acoustic systems demonstrate excellent sound control properties. Contour Baffles and Eclipse Islands can each be hung in a number of ways and are perfect for where a traditional suspended grid system might not be suitable. At White Arkitekter’s new offices they are suspended on elegant wires fixed directly to the ceiling substrate. Both ranges exhibit a frameless, minimalist style which suited the natural, unfussy, stripped back aesthetic the practice looked to achieve.
Eclipse
Eclipse Wall Panels are a versatile decorative solution for improving acoustics. Fully pre-assembled, they are easy to install, with a washable, replaceable canvas, and are available in 34 colours from the Rockfon Wellbeing range, but can also be supplied to feature any image or design.
A warm and inspiring environment
White Arkitekter Sustainability Specialist, Shreya Aneja, “Overall, the refurbishment process focused on enhancing existing conditions and working with what was there. The outcome was a warm, naturally inspiring environment conducive to our team’s work. It now boasts a diverse array of flexible, adaptable spaces, incorporates biophilic principles, and natural materials have been used where possible…”
Industry acknowledgement has followed in light of the outstanding results realised by White Arkitekter whilst adhering to their low impact, circular design approach. The refurbishment has been awarded, ‘Mix Interiors 24: Project of the Year – Workplace Sub 5k’, and has featured widely among the architectural and interiors press, held up as a model for future office redevelopment, illustrating that limiting environmental impacts through intelligent architectural and interior design, reuse and circularity, can result in stylish, contemporary spaces for work, where a sense of wellbeing is eminently achievable.
