Texas school district's Visual+Performing Arts Center and Administration buildings feature Rockfon ceilings
Posted on July 26th, 2024 by Heather West
The 85,000-square-foot VPAC presents the CFISD’s visual and performing arts programs. Next door, the 220,000-square-foot, five-story Administration Building was designed with efficiency, safety and health in mind for the district’s 700 employees. Rockfon acoustic stone wool ceiling panels in both facilities support the current and future well-being, comfort and productivity of students and staff.
The VPAC and Administration Building mirror each other in their design, materials and finishes, including their ceiling systems. In total, Applied Finish Systems installed more than 245,000 square feet of Rockfon acoustic stone wool ceiling panels in Chicago Metallic® 4000 Tempra™ 9/16-inch suspension system.
Brandon Ross, AIA, LEED AP, partner at PBK Architects, who designed both buildings, is quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying, “This central facility will provide both some relief in size and in quantity for future activities. It’s set up to support true visual performing arts to support your band, orchestra, dance (and) arts. It’s truly an all-inclusive facility. It has spaces to support all of those.”
The VPAC’s multi-level, 1,500-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium includes two balconies. It hosts approximately 1,600 student theatrical, orchestra, dance and other artistic performances each academic year. The building also has a small secondary theater that seats up to 200, a multipurpose room, a dance studio, warm-up areas, and ticketing, concessions and fine arts spaces.
Engaging audiences with excellent acoustics, the VPAC’s interiors primarily are composed of Rockfon Sonar panels, which deliver best-level sound-absorption as demonstrated with a 0.95 Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC). Stone wool a high NRC lowers noise levels and reverberation time, improving speech intelligibility and acoustical comfort.
Accentuating the VPAC’s dramatic atmosphere, the large theater showcases Rockfon Cinema Black acoustic stone wool ceiling panels. The black panels also provide excellent sound absorption with a 0.95 NRC. Distinguishing the smaller theater, Rockfon Tropic® white acoustic stone wool ceiling panels were selected in square 2-by-2-foot sizes.
“I’m so excited for students to have a facility like this to showcase their work and to hone their craft and to develop those skills. I’m pleased that our employees who work so hard will have a good work environment for them to do their work and to serve our district in," CFISD Board Trustee, Julie Hinaman, said in a Community Impact article.
Rockfon ceiling systems offer designers optimal design freedom, while maximizing performance and occupant well-being. Because Americans spend the majority of their time indoors, office buildings and schools deserve extra attention for IAQ. For CFISD’s VPAC and Administration Building, Rockfon stone wool ceiling panels are UL® GREENGUARD® Gold Certified for low VOCs.
CFISD’s new VPAC and the Administration Building provide a centralized, convenient, accessible and inclusive destination for the district’s staff, faculty, students, families and other visitors. Inside these buildings, Rockfon ceiling systems contribute to providing people with a comfortable experience that supports their well-being, productivity and performances for many years to come.
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Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District; Cypress, Texas; https://www.cfisd.net
Mark Henry, Ed.D. Administration Building, 11440 Matzke Road
Visual & Performing Arts Center, 11420 Matzke Road
* Architect: PBK Architects, Inc.; Houston; https://pbk.com
* General contractor: Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc.; Houston; https://satpon.com
* Ceiling – installing contractor: Applied Finish Systems; Houston; https://www.appliedfinishsystems.com
* Ceiling – manufacturer: Rockfon; Chicago; https://www.rockfon.com
* Photographer: ©Wade Griffith Photography
About Rockfon
Rockfon is part of ROCKWOOL Group and is offering advanced acoustic ceilings and wall solutions to create beautiful, comfortable spaces.
At ROCKWOOL Group, we are committed to enriching the lives of everyone who experiences our product solutions. Our expertise is perfectly suited to tackle many of today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges, from energy consumption and noise pollution to fire resilience, water scarcity and flooding. Our range of products reflects the diversity of the world’s needs, while supporting our stakeholders in reducing their own carbon footprint.
Stone wool is a versatile material and forms the basis of all our businesses. With approximately 12,000 passionate colleagues in 40 countries, we are one of the world leaders in stone wool solutions, from building insulation to acoustic ceilings, external cladding systems to horticultural solutions, engineered fibers for industrial use to insulation for the process industry, and marine and offshore.
For more information, please visit https://www.rockfon.com.
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Filed under: Projects, Rockfon