Acoustical Ceiling Tiles

East Brandywine Church recently went through a massive renovation of their family centers and gymnasium. Those areas of the church had not been updated in over 30 years, so the new space was long overdue. The ceiling in the old gym became the laughing stock of visitors and church-goers. According to the facilities director, Ann Wuertz, identifying the ceiling was a challenge: “We could not find anybody who could tell us what the ceiling was because of the wear and tear and because of how old it was.”

After initial completion of the renovation, while the look of the gym was upgraded, the acoustics lacked because of the material chosen. “We went with stucco on the ceiling because we knew we needed something impact resistant.”

Wuertz and everyone that would visit the new gym quickly noticed how bad the sound was. The space echoed and no one was ever comfortable sitting there. They knew that an acoustical solution needed to happen.

To help with the acoustical issue in the space, Wuertz took to her computer to search for the answer. She started googling and the Kanopi by Armstrong Ceilings solution was the first to catch her eye.

Selected for use were black LYRA PB Direct Apply panels. These panels provide sustainable and acoustical options for a wide variety of applications and install directly to existing drywall, plaster, concrete, and metal ceilings using ceiling adhesive.

All together, 62 panels were installed, for a total of 992 square feet. The black color was chosen to blend in with the current ceiling.

According to Wuertz, installation went quickly and smoothly. The panels have a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.95, meaning they absorb 95% of the sound that strikes them. After installation, both the church-goers and the staff noticed the improvement and the acoustical tests confirmed it.