The Gym Group Hendon: bank-to-gym conversion with a full acoustic specification

A former bank building in Hendon, with residential dwellings on the floors directly above. The Gym Group were converting the ground floor to a fully operational gym, and the acoustic and fire separation specification had to work hard from the outset. Eastledge delivered the partition, dry lining, ceiling and sealing package, working within a live fit-out programme run by main contractor Kingfisher Construction.

The brief

Residential dwellings sitting directly above a commercial gym is a straightforward acoustic problem with no easy answer. The specification had to achieve the required airborne and impact sound reduction performance between the gym floor and the flats above, and it had to be fire-rated to meet the building's compartmentation requirements.

The solution was a tested Hadley system, selected specifically for its combined acoustic and fire performance data. The brief to Eastledge was to install that system accurately, coordinate it with the wider fit-out trades, and maintain a programme that kept pace with the gym opening date.

What we did

Partitions and acoustic dry lining

Metal stud partitions were installed throughout the footprint, with the acoustic specification driving both the framing system and the plasterboard choice. Where the partition adjoins the underside of the structure above, the system was taken to full structural height and fire-stopped at the junction to maintain compartmentation. Siniat plasterboard was used throughout for the lining work.

Suspended ceiling

A suspended ceiling was installed across the main training floor, coordinating with the M&E services and the gym fit-out contractor. Grid setting-out was agreed before hangers went in so services penetrations, lighting positions and equipment drops could all be accommodated without remedial cutting.

Beam casements and bulkheads

Exposed structural steelwork running through the former bank space was cased in dry lining to provide a clean finish and the fire rating required for structural elements. Bulkheads were formed to box in high-level services where these ran beneath the structure.

Fire-rated casements and firestopping

Fire-rated casements were installed at the required locations to maintain compartmentation at penetrations. Firestopping was applied at all service penetrations through party floors and walls, with the specification and products selected in line with the tested system requirements.

How we worked

The gym fit-out involved multiple trades working simultaneously across the floor plate, with Kingfisher Construction managing the programme. Eastledge coordinated closely with the gym equipment supplier and the M&E contractor: ceiling setting-out informed equipment anchoring positions, and service routes were agreed before either trade began work, avoiding rework later in the programme.

Acoustic specification on a project like this requires care at every junction. The continuity of the tested system depends on getting the details right: correct products at penetrations, correct fixing centres, correct junction treatments between floor, wall and ceiling. Our site supervision team managed the installation to the tested system requirements throughout.

Outcome

A working gym in a converted bank building, with a verified acoustic and fire separation specification between the gym floor and the residential dwellings above. The tested Hadley system was installed accurately and the project was handed over on programme with the gym operator's opening date.

The photography was taken after handover with the gym in use. The fit-out serves the building's mixed-use requirements: commercial below, residential above, with the performance specification that both uses require.