Aiming for a uniform, lifeless and seamless acoustic surface

In previous renovations, fabric-coated acoustic structures and surfaces had been made in the premises of Parliament House, which had become dirty over time. During the renovation of the Parliament House, fabric-surfaced structures were removed due to building technology installations, and there was a desire to replace them with new acoustics.

The architect wanted to find an acoustic material suitable for the historical site that does not visibly increase the level of surfaces. The surface of the desired acoustic material had to resemble a plastered, in some places even smoothed and painted masonry surface and blend into the old surfaces. The aim was to make the acoustic surface uniform, lifeless and seamless, and no mouldings were allowed at the junctions of the wall and ceiling surfaces.

The colours of the acoustically coated walls and ceilings had to match exactly the colours of J.S. Sirén’s colour scheme, which was defined according to the international Natural Colour System (NCS) map. Some of the acoustic cladding wanted to integrate flat speakers, and the surfaces must also function as reflection surfaces for AV presentations.

Implementation in good cooperation and quality first

We eagerly accepted the opportunity to be involved in implementing the best solutions for the demanding goals of Parliament House. The work was carried out in good cooperation and the details were refined several times. With regard to the acoustics of the Parliament House, Lumir’s properties, such as the hardness and durability of wall surfaces, were discussed with the designer. In addition to criteria related to appearance and durability, the choice of material focused on the acoustic properties of the surface, which were supposed to provide a good, computationally and experimentally verifiable significant improvement in the spaces where damping was added. This was reviewed and evaluated at different stages with the acoustician of the site.

Some of the damping surfaces were located in spaces where seats have also been placed on the walls of the rooms. The acoustic surface had to be resistant to touch and even bumps and, if necessary, easily repairable and patchable. An additional challenge to the work was the sensitive environment of Parliament House: the valuable surface adjacent to the area to be sprayed was not allowed to be damaged or soiled during the work.

The quick-to-install Lumir solution often includes drywall, which absorbs low frequencies, as well as a Lumir acoustic coating that absorbs high frequencies. Lumir Spray acoustics sprayed on hard surfaces were also implemented in the Parliament House, imitating the old surface.

In the midst of the construction site, the simultaneous construction of many different spaces with different colours was a demanding task for both Lumir’s responsible sprayers and the colour master. The colouring and structure of the surfaces were found through numerous models and experiments to match the other wall surfaces associated with them.

Timo Arponen, Site Manager at Lemminkäinen Talo Oy, which was the main contractor for the renovation of Parliament House, acknowledges the acoustic coating workers.

– Lumir did a good job. The sprayers had composure and everyone played to one goal.

Pictures: Hanne Salonen/ Eduskunta