Freemen's School Swimming Pool

Acoustics are a particular issue in swimming pools due to the large areas of tiling, and because water itself is also highly reflective of sound.

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Challenge

The architects needed a material that would provide high performance sound absorption whilst being compatible with the specialist environmental conditions of a pool. As this is within a school, speech intelligibility is of particular importance for learning – and the BASWA discretely and effectively provides this crucial function.

In order to optimise the acoustics of the indoor pool and improve speech intelligibility, architects need a material that offers high-performance sound absorption. The architects Hawkins\Brown Architects have opted for an acoustic solution from BASWA for this purpose. The BASWA Phon Classic Base acoustic solution has made it possible to reduce noise in the indoor swimming pool. The solution blends harmoniously with the aesthetic architecture of the new school swimming pool. Unobtrusive, seamless and highly effective.

Freemens School Swimming Pool in England - BASWA Phon seamless acoustic plaster

Approach

Usually ceiling areas are used as the largest area for sound absorption, but in this project BASWA was used on the walls. In this case it was particularly effective, and this allowed the architects to continue their striking use of exposed timber on the ceiling.

High humidity environments

High humidity poses a challenge to some interior surfaces and is the reason tiles are used as wall coverings. BASWA’s surface coatings consist mainly of marble sand. Where there is a risk of splashing liquids, BASWA Protect provides a clear hydrophobic surface protection that protects the porous surface from the demanding conditions in areas such as indoor swimming pools and spas. With its mineral and silicate composition, BASWA does not contain any nutritional content for mould and bacteria, and is also highly resistant to chemicals used in pool environments such as chlorine. Information about the project:

Project: City of London Freemen’s School (Swimming Pool)

Location: Surrey, United Kingdom

Architect: Hawkins\Brown Architects

Installation: Quiet Interiors

BASWA-System BASWA Phon Classic Base

Built BASWA surface area: 60 m²

Year: 2017