One building, every kind of event, and 1,100 floating panels
Giving a Polish community centre the acoustics to host sport, concerts, conferences and classes under one roof.
The 2,000m² main hall at the Grodzisk Mazowiecki Centre, where over 1,100 Rockfon Eclipse floating panels control sound across a space built for sport, concerts and events.
A centre built for the whole community
The Centre for Social Activation and Integration in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland is a striking multipurpose complex, designed by Paweł Tiepłow Design Studio with protruding blocks and rooms suspended on reinforced concrete supports.
Inside, it hosts cultural and artistic events, conferences, training sessions for local sports clubs, a rock-climbing zone, classrooms, and even a 33-metre tower housing an automated astronomical observatory.
It connects directly to the neighbouring primary school through a glazed link, so students share its facilities too.
A building that does this much has to sound right for every one of those uses. And that is far from straightforward.
One hall, different acoustic demands
The same main hall has to work for a handball match and a concert and a conference. Each needs something different from the acoustics: speech intelligibility for talks and lessons, controlled reverberation for music and events, and noise control for fast, loud sport.
The hall itself makes that hard. At 2,000m² with a high exposed steel roof, hard floors and concrete surfaces, sound reflects and builds across the full volume of the space.
On top of the acoustic brief, the ceiling solution couldn't get in the way of the building's ventilation or fire detection running through that open roof structure.
Project info
Project name
Grodzisk Mazowiecki Centre
Location
Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland
Installation
Photography
Bartosz Makowski
Contractor
Download images
The open steel roof carries ventilation and fire detection, which the floating panels are designed to work around rather than block.
1,100 floating panels that do more than absorb sound
In the main hall, over 1,100 Rockfon Eclipse floating panels were installed. Suspended below the open roof, they deliver the acoustic absorption a 2,000m² multipurpose hall needs across all its uses.
Their floating design brought a second benefit. Because air passes freely around each panel, they meet the acoustic brief without blocking airflow, which removed the need for additional ventilation and separate fire detectors in the hall. One solution, solving an acoustic problem and simplifying the building's services at the same time.
"The choice of Rockfon products was the best solution in this case, thanks to the fulfilment of design requirements, visual value, as well as professional technical advice," said Emilia Rutkowska, Project Manager at Skanska.
“The choice of Rockfon products was the best solution in this case, thanks to the fulfilment of design requirements, visual value, as well as professional technical advice”
Emilia Rutkowska
— Project Manager at Skanska
In the rock-climbing zone, Rockfon Tropic tiles control noise and create a consistent look across the facility.
Rockfon Eclipse floating panels contrast cleanly against the exposed concrete soffit above
The right solution for every other space
Beyond the main hall, the rest of the building each needed its own approach. Two further sports halls received their own Rockfon acoustic ceilings.
In the circulation spaces and classrooms, bright white Rockfon Blanka tiles deliver Class A absorption with high light reflection, keeping those areas bright and clear for speech.
In the common areas, including the climbing zone, Rockfon Tropic tiles handle noise control while giving the facility a single, cohesive identity.
From the climbing walls to the spectator stands, a single acoustic strategy keeps every part of the centre comfortable, whatever event it is hosting.
A space the whole community can use
The Grodzisk Mazowiecki Centre now does exactly what it was built to do: host sport, culture, education and community life under one roof, with the acoustics to support every one of them.
Also designing a multipurpose venue that has to perform acoustically across very different uses? Get in touch, and we'll help you find the right solution for every space.
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