University of Nottingham Amenities Building: acoustic ceiling panels

The Amenities Building at the University of Nottingham required a ceiling installation that addressed the acoustic performance brief for the building's social and amenity spaces while producing a finish that reads as part of the building's design intent, not as a technical overlay applied after the fact. Eastledge delivered the acoustic ceiling panel installation using Decor Acoustics systems, specified for their absorption performance and the quality of the fabric-wrapped finish.

The brief

University amenity spaces are acoustically demanding environments. The building handles a high density of occupants in social and dining areas, with background noise from catering equipment, ventilation and the general movement of a busy campus facility compounding the acoustic challenges of the space. The acoustic brief was to reduce reverberation to a level compatible with the space's use without interrupting the building's visual character.

The Decor Acoustics fabric-wrapped panel system was selected for this project because it combines the absorption performance required by the acoustic brief with a surface quality and finish range that integrates into the designed interior. The panel faces present as a clean, intentional ceiling element rather than a remedial acoustic treatment.

What we installed

Fabric-wrapped acoustic ceiling panels

The Decor Acoustics panel system consists of fabric-wrapped tiles with an absorbent mineral wool or glass wool core and a breathable decorative fabric face. The fabric allows sound to pass through to the absorptive substrate, delivering the rated absorption performance while presenting a designed visual finish across the ceiling plane.

Panel size, layout, fixing centres and fabric selection were set by the acoustic specification and the design intent for the space. We worked from the project drawings and the manufacturer's installation documentation to achieve the specified panel positions, consistent joint lines across the grid and a finished ceiling plane that holds up under the scrutiny of a public-facing university building.

Integration with the existing building fabric

The installation required coordination with the existing building services above the ceiling level: ventilation outlets, lighting positions, sprinkler heads and data access points all required consideration within the panel layout and fixing approach. Service penetrations were finished cleanly against each panel face, maintaining the visual continuity of the ceiling across the full installation area.

How we worked

The installation ran within the principal contractor's programme for the wider Amenities Building project. Our supervision team coordinated the acoustic panel sequence with the M&E and decorating trades to ensure that services integration was complete before panels were fixed and that finished areas were protected from subsequent trade activity.

Decor Acoustics fabric-wrapped panels require careful handling: the fabric face is the finished surface and cannot be touched up after installation. We managed material storage, handling and protection throughout the works to deliver the panels to site in full condition and fix them to a standard consistent with the quality of the system.

Outcome

A professionally finished acoustic ceiling across the principal social and amenity spaces of the building, meeting the acoustic performance brief for the space and presenting a clean, designed finish consistent with the quality of the wider building interior. The Decor Acoustics fabric-wrapped panel system delivers both outcomes in a single installation: measured absorption performance and a surface quality that reads as an architectural finish.

Related education work: Barnsley College, a year-long acoustic and ceiling refurbishment across four floors; and University of Nottingham CTC, interior fit-out works at the University's Clinical Training Centre.