We spend most of our lives indoors, even in summer. How to reconcile this with the need to be close to nature? Experts suggest: take care of air quality, light, design and friendly interior acoustics. Manufacturers of finishing materials today provide such advanced solutions that sitting at your desk - at work or at home - you can have acoustic wood panels over your head.
Nature is without debate the greatest and most inspiring creator. For hundreds of years it has been the muse of creators, whether they work in the sphere of culture, art or architecture. All new design trends are based on what is related to the earth, starting with colors. The famous The Pantone Color of the Year initiative inspires artists every year, telling them what colors of nature will be fashionable. Architects are creating modern buildings inspired by trees, more - they are building skyscrapers out of wood and are racing together with developers to see who can erect the world's tallest wooden tower. The latest record is the announcement of a nearly 200-meter-high building in Australia.
However, ecological solutions and natural wood can also be introduced in less spectacular buildings and even in small interiors. Old edifices, not always environmentally friendly, also have a chance. Their renovation is a chance for an ecological update.
April makes you think
This is the month when ecology is talked about exceptionally much. Earth Day makes eco themes run through classic and social media, everyone wants to be green in their own way. We are supposed to care about the earth, but also about human beings. The health and well-being of people in conjunction with nature is the direction the world and business is going. The young generation not only imposes this thinking, but even forces corporations to be well.
HERADESIGN Alpha+ acoustic panels are a prime example of the statement that strength is in simplicity. Today's times need products that are simple in materials, simple in production, simple in disposal or recycling. Wood, water, magnesite. Today's design places a premium more than ever on naturalness and material honesty, which brings with it a sense of safety and comfort, in this case also acoustic," says Tomasz Pągowski, a member of the PLGBC Green Building Awards 2024 jury.
The entire HERADESIGN line is made of natural wood wool. The boards are additionally PEFC and FSC certified, as well as Cradle to Cradle certification - that is, confirmation that they operate in a closed-loop economy cycle and can be fully recycled again after use, to return in a new form.
Wood wool in HERADESIGN panels - ecology and sound absorption in one, photo: left Knauf Ceiling Solutions, right American International College, Kuwait City
Photo by Matt Livey
Muniak, a company specializing in the interior fit-out sector for more than 30 years, opted for such an ecological solution. It installed Heradesign Superfine acoustic panels in its office.
Muniak's Warsaw office is almost "drowning" in wood and greenery
Photo by Paweł Stelmach for Knauf Ceiling Solutions
Looking at Muniak's office, one can be sure that the company knows how to arrange the interiors of other companies according to the expectations of Generation Z. The calm color scheme of wood on the walls, ceilings and floor is enhanced by color accents, most notably natural greenery on vibrant, plant-rich surfaces. These optimistic, but also acoustically friendly interiors are the creation of the Utopia design studio.
April is also a reminder that acoustics affect people's well-being. The International Noise Awareness Day, which falls on April 25, reminds us that there is no shortage of noise in our environment, including interiors. It can be most troublesome in schools and restaurants. These two types of premises are sometimes radically different investments: the interiors of schools need to be bright, budget-friendly and resistant to use. Designer restaurants, on the other hand, can surprise not only with rich flavors, but also with luxurious decor. What matters is the wow effect, not just the low cost of the arrangement. However, the noise of conversation, laughter and background acoustics in both can be equally oppressive.
High School No. 163 in Warsaw
Photo by Bartosz Makowski for Knauf Ceiling Solutions
At Warsaw's High School No. 163, nature enters the interior. Large glazed windows allow students during lessons and breaks in the corridors to calm their emotions with the peaceful green of pine trees in sight. Plus3 Architects studio went a step further and took care of soundproofing as well. Eco-friendly HERADESIGN panels were installed on the ceilings and walls. It's bright, spacious and peaceful.
The Knauf Ceiling Solutions wood wool ceilings in the Claas restaurant in Hamburg are completely different. Acoustic panels with a grooved wave-shaped structure were installed overhead. The black HERADESIGN® Creative Effect modules play a decorative role, improve acoustics so that guests don't get tired of excessive conversational noise, but are also resistant to fire and moisture.
Restaurant Class, Hamburg
Photo by Matthias Stoewer for Knauf Ceiling Solutions
Earth- and ear-friendly homes
Acoustic panels in the form of wall cladding or modular ceilings are dedicated not only to new buildings and large open spaces. The calming acoustics of small spaces have been relied upon by the Ronald McDonald Foundation. By building and equipping homes where parents of hospitalized children can stay, it has for years been helping families get through a difficult period as traumatically as possible. There is always a fully equipped kitchen, laundry room, children's playroom, library and garden, and each family has its own personal space - a room with a bathroom and a comfortable bed. In the foundation's Warsaw home, HERADESIGN panels have been installed on the ceilings, in calm gray tones.
The home of the Ronald McDonald Foundation in Warsaw.
Photo by Szymon Polanski for Knauf Ceiling Solutions
Small office spaces or playrooms in kindergartens also need soundproofing. Without noise, one simply works more efficiently, the body is not exposed to unwanted sounds, and noises penetrating from outside or neighboring rooms are muffled.
The advantage of modular ceilings is the ease of their installation and removal. They allow quick access to the space above the ceiling, where in public buildings technical installations related to ventilation, lighting or wiring are hidden. You can quickly replace individual modules or even change their color scheme to give the interior a new design. The modular grid helps improve acoustics and ecology in older buildings that were not planned with environmental friendliness in mind at the construction stage many years ago.
In a small office, a color toned ceiling can surprise with texture - the wooden wool in HERADESIGN panels has been personalized with special decorative patterns cut into the surface of the panels
Photo: Hieronimi moderner baubedarf GmbH, Germany, Lukas Huneke
For more information about the company https://knauf.com/pl-PL/p/produkty/sufity-i-absorbery-scienne-35568
Media contact: Patrycja Rabinska, [email protected], 504 006 016
