Meeting Czech reverb standards in a Prague music school
A 1931 elementary school was renovated to hit the country's legal limits for classroom reverberation.
A classroom with Rockfon Blanka on the ceiling and a Rockfon VertiQ wall panel behind, adding sound absorption at wall level.
A renovation with acoustics as prio
Gen. František Fajtl Elementary School in Prague has taught here since 1931. It's a school built around music and art, with specialist classrooms, a school orchestra, a nursery, an after-school club and a full range of activities, spread across two buildings with a dining hall, gymnasium and outdoor sports pitch.
When the original building was renovated, the client and architects Křivka set two priorities: modern-looking interiors and good acoustics.
Specifically, the project had to meet Czech legal requirements for reverberation time in schools.
Different spaces, different acoustic needs
A school like this has very different rooms to treat. Busy corridors need durable, easy-to-maintain sound absorption. Classrooms need to control reverberation while staying bright, and in a music school they also need to keep speech and sound clear rather than deadening the room completely.
And the walls, not just the ceilings, take a beating in a building full of children.
Meeting the Czech standard across all of that meant choosing the right product for each condition.
Project info
Project name
Gen. František Fajtl Elementary School
Location
Prague
Architecture
Architektonická kancelář Křivka s.r.o.
Photography
Pavel Růžička
Installer
BOHUC stav s.r.o.
Interior Designer
Architektonická kancelář Křivka s.r.o
Download images
Rockfon Blanka overhead and a Rockfon VertiQ wall panel behind the desks, absorbing sound from both the ceiling and the wall.
A teaching room with Rockfon Blanka above, keeping speech clear during lessons.
A renovated classroom with Rockfon Blanka overhead, keeping the room bright and reverberation right for lessons.
Four products, matched to each space
Rockfon Artic acoustic ceiling tiles were installed in the corridors, bringing Class A sound absorption to the busiest parts of the school. At 15mm thick and lightweight, they were quick to install during the refurbishment and are easy to maintain in a building used all year round.
Rockfon Blanka acoustic ceiling tiles were installed in the classrooms. Their ultra-white, ultra-matte surface reflects and diffuses daylight to keep rooms bright. In some classrooms, Blanka was combined with the Rockfon Blanka Bas variant, which reflects some sound back into the room to keep sounds clear, important in spaces used for music and teaching.
Rockfon VertiQ wall panels were installed on the classroom walls to add sound absorption at wall level. Their surface resists the knocks and impacts that walls take in a busy school.
After all four solutions were installed, the school's acoustics were measured. The results met the Czech acoustic standards for schools.
Rockfon Artic in the corridor, absorbing the noise of children moving between lessons.
Rockfon Artic ceiling tiles in the corridor, providing Class A sound absorption in a busy shared space.
Gen. František Fajtl Elementary School in Prague, teaching on this site since 1931.
A brighter, quieter school, confirmed by measurement
The renovated school now gives pupils and teachers bright, comfortable rooms that meet the national standard for classroom acoustics, backed up by measurement rather than assumption.
Also renovating a school that has to meet a legal acoustic standard across very different spaces? Get in touch, and we'll help you match the right solutions.
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