Leeds Beckett University
Dramatic and eye-catching red race-track ceilings supplied for a state-of-the-art sports faculty.
A variety of SAS acoustic ceiling systems were used for Leeds Beckett University; these were designed for the sports labs, corridors and training spaces. A total of 3600m² of SAS product was supplied throughout the academic building.
In the entrance of the main building, a dramatic, anodised red ceiling takes pride of place. Designed to emulate a racetrack, integrated SAS330 (lay-in) and SAS200 (hook-on) lighting were supplied with a WP10 hybrid solution (a metal acoustic wall panel system). The combination of these systems were used to create a linear effect, providing wayfinding throughout the building. An anodised finish was chosen in combination with a continuous diagonal perforation to create a seamless yet vibrant surface.
The racetrack room features a simple and clean aesthetic. Inverting the colour palette of the main building, the indoor racetrack itself carries the dramatic red at floor level. An elegant, white SAS320 (lay-in) plank ceiling with surrounding plasterboard was used above to allow the racetrack to be the defining aspect in the room. One of the many benefits of using a corridor system like SAS320 is that it provides service access across the system. This is a particularly useful feature for the maintenance and service consistency of a long and busy room like this.
Lastly, in the treatment rooms, a pure white aesthetic was maintained throughout. An SAS150 (clip-in) ceiling was supplied by SAS. Acoustic absorption is particularly important in treatment rooms to create a calm and healing environment. Whilst providing for the acoustic and lighting requirements of the space, SAS150 also offers the benefits of swing-down access to services in a concealed grid system.
SAS were chosen for this project due to their design capabilities and their willingness to work with the client on a solution that would meet the brief. In order to achieve the architect’s vision for the feature racetrack design, the technical team were required to provide their extensive product expertise, as well as needing to meet the client’s budget.
There were various challenges SAS had to overcome during this project, mainly the detailing for the anodised feature ceiling to allow lighting integration. The standard SAS150 system in the treatment rooms needed to be restyled to allow for the continuous strip lighting to be installed.
The Carnegie Teaching and Research Facility (CTAR) is a brand-new building at Leeds Beckett University’s Headingly Campus. It provides an inspiring home for the Carnegie School of Sport and has now been transformed to accommodate a wealth of facilities. These include research and hypoxic laboratories, a health and wellbeing studio and an 80m racetrack for performance training. Leeds Beckett University are one of the most popular in the UK for sports education, with a long history of expertise in this area that dates back to 1933. The development of this facility will ensure that they continue to attract the most talented staff and students to continue this work.
Sector:
Education
Client:
Leeds Beckett University
Architect:
Sheppard Robson
Main contractor:
Galliford Try
System type:
SAS330, SAS200, SAS320, SAS150
Region:
United Kingdom
