New Design Event Comes to Edinburgh

New Product Launch- Design Pops Up @ Dovecot Studios Edinburgh

 

Can a large open space feel welcoming and warm? (here's the proof)

Acoustic Design for Interiors exhibition, Friends of Wilson Architectural Acoustic Panels 2014

The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Architecture and Design, is an acoustically challenging space with a large, open atrium scaling 4 floors.

Creating a welcoming space with visual impact and good acoustics in such a large open area is a difficult design challenge.

I knew it could be done, so I took on the challenge:

• To create an impact with a feature wall scaling two floors.

• To install perfectly flush panels on an curved, uneven wall.

• And to avoid compromising the combination of contemporary and 19th century architecture that makes the Lighthouse so special.

This is how we transformed the Lighthouse with the Tessellate panels :

The natural material of Tessellate brings a tactile feel to a large space

Peter Wilkie, a scientist at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, said he was drawn to stand closer to the panels, as it ‘felt good, softer’ than the grey concrete wall.

The Tessellate panels at the Lighthouse created an enjoyable space within a space, giving visual focus to an otherwise disparate area.

The panels also dampen sound to create a warmer environment, as recently proven by the acoustic testing laboratory at Salford University.

This video explains how sound works and why our panels reduce noise :

Measurement of Tessellate panels in a reverberation chamber

The Lighthouse was a challenging project.

But often challenges force us to be creative with surprising results.

What design challenge have you had that brought interesting results?

Get in touch- it would be good to hear from you!

Best wishes,

Lynne

tel : +44 (0)141 334 2859

With thanks to all our 'Friends of Wilson' exhibition supporters :

New Product Showcase and Video Works for Clerkenwell Design Week!

Acoustic Design for Interiors at the Lighthouse- exhibition set up and preview

These images show some of the enjoyable hard work that went into the installation of our exhibition. I would like to gratefully thank the staff at the Lighthouse exhibitions for their fantastic support, our sponsors, and all Friends and visitors who helped make the exhibition a great success.

Exhibition layout Dwg.

In the beginning - unpacking the four large boxes containing total 108 singular Tessellate plywood and foam panels.

 

We tested the panels a few weeks beforehand to ensure a smooth installation with no surprises on the uneven back panels and curved wall.  I worked with exhibitions assistant Ben who did a fantastic job installing the whole exhibition.

Split battens for hanging- 2 x per panel running the whole length of the wall.

First 2 rows up - and the simple hanging system makes it quick and easy.

Applying the laser cut card panel cut outs to the top levels- it was high and the scissor lift was a wee bit wobbly! You can just see the plan layout for the panels to the left.

Up and down in the scissor lift.

View from floor above looking down on graphics being installed.

Last of the wall graphics being applied and getting the projection correctly positioned.

Only 3 hours to go till opening. Ben drilling the stand for the projector but we're almost there.

6pm Thursday 21st February 2104 and all ready!

Smiling but also concentrated faces and hand gestures at the preview show people were engaged and delighted by the feature wall and video works. Thanks to everyone for coming along!

Me with Allan Madden, Head of Exhibitions at the Lighthouse.

Tessellate is trending

I-On is Scotland's largest lifestyle magazine and this month their LOOK BOOK 2014 design section looks at the recent trend for all things Tessellate, featuring naturally, our Tessellate acoustic wall panel system!

www.apartmenttherapy.com/trends

Announcing a new exhibition: Tessellate Wall Panel and Acoustic Design for Interiors

Sensing Spaces exhibition, Royal Academy, London 7 February 2014

When was the last time you stood inside a building and felt a sense of awe?

Overwhelmed by the design, scale and atmosphere of the place?

Exceptional buildings create a sense of drama that transcends their practical function, and has a powerful effect on our emotions.

I felt this during the Xmas eve carol service in Edinburgh Cathedral. Although I’m not religious, the beautiful architecture and endless reverberations of the choir’s voices created a sound of ethereal beauty and a genuinely moving experience.  

We often don’t remember the details of how a place looked or sounded, but we remember how it made us feel.

At their best, buildings allow us a sense of perspective, and a way to reflect and identify with something bigger than ourselves, whether spiritual or physical.

But who wants to deal with this kind of high drama on a day to day basis, in the ‘normal’ places of offices, home and restaurants where we spend most of our time?

The acoustics of the interiors in which we work, rest and play need to be appropriate to the practical function of the space.

During a conference call at work, you’re not seeking a sublime moment, just to be heard and understood. Excessive reverberation or noise wears on our nerves and makes it more difficult to relax, be heard or be productive.

If the sound and function of a space don’t match, it creates tension.

Or it just feels wrong.

Recently, I had dinner in a local restaurant housed in a converted church. It looked atmospheric and welcoming. We sat cocooned within its gold walls, surrounded by hand painted murals, soft lighting, candles and warm, solid wood furniture.  But with virtually no fabrics, curtains, rugs or absorbent panels, the overall feeling was hollow.

The building’s original architectural acoustics didn’t work for its new function as a restaurant.

But the unique look and style of a space doesn't have to be compromised to achieve the right acoustics.

A sensitivity to materials and using them wherever possible to absorb sound, is key to achieving the right reverberation time in a space.

The ideal reverberation time - the time that sound takes to disappear when it hits a surface and bounces back - depends on the function of a space:

For a living room it’s 0.4 seconds

For an opera house it’s 1.2 seconds

And for St. Pauls Cathedral it’s 9.2 seconds

A rich palette of materials and surfaces on furniture and fittings helps you create a more welcoming feel in, for instance, a hotel reception. Consider adding a large rug in waiting areas or use upholstered rather than seating with hard surfaces. Or use curtains rather than blinds to soften the acoustics.

Combining good looks with acoustics is what we specialise in at Friends of Wilson. Later this month we’ll be showcasing our approach with an exciting exhibition at The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture.

Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and once housing the Glasgow Herald newspaper, the Lighthouse’s main artery is a contemporary multi-leveled atrium defined by huge concrete slab-type walls contrasted with glacier-like balustrades. The light and shadow, and therefore the mood of the interior, are unpredictable, determined by the brooding, fast-changing Glasgow skies.

Deep within the ravine-like atrium space and scaling two floors, will be a six and a half metre high installation of our modular panel, Tessellate.

Bold and dramatic as The Lighthouse, the panels compromise none of the aesthetics of the space but absorb sound reflections from the surrounding hard materials to create a warmer, more welcoming area within the large open space.

New video footage created in partnership with Salford University acoustic testing laboratories will be projected, highlighting the benefits of acoustic design and how it can help create welcoming, well functioning spaces.

Are you in Glasgow between 28 February and 6 April? Come to experience this unique exhibition – we’d love to see you and hear what you think!