Acoustic Ceiling System For Hong Kong Cyberport

StoSilent Panel has been chosen for a high specification, decorative, acoustic ceiling in the lobby and reception area of one of the work towers at the new Cyberport complex in Hong Kong.

StoSilent Panel has been chosen for a high specification, 1200m2 seamless acoustic ceiling for the stunning entrance area to the prestigious new Cyberport 2 development in Hong Kong Transferring from the natural world outside Cyberport 2, to the virtual world inside, requires a very special piece of interior design In 1842, at the end of the first Opium War, Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British.

It had no natural resources, save a large, deep natural harbour and consisted primarily of fishing villages and a small farming community.

A few years later the Jiulong peninsular was also acquired by the British and then in 1898 the large land area of the New Territories as well, but strangely only on a 99-year lease arrangement.

In 1997, the lease on the New Territories expired, leaving a truncated colony consisting of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

After a hundred and fifty five years Hong Kong was returned to Chinese control, the British having agreed to this thirteen years earlier in 1984.

During the extensive period of British rule, spanning two centuries, the rate of commercial development in Hong Kong was remarkable considering the humble beginnings.

Today, Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, enjoying a high degree of autonomy but still enjoying the legacy.

Although the economy has cooled a little, it continues to be one of the world's most exciting, dynamic and ambitious cities with the colony ranking tenth among the world's largest exporters of services in the civil aviation, shipping, travel, tourism, financial and banking sectors.

As if to underline this ambition, on the south west coast of Hong Kong Island at Telegraph Bay, is the 60-acre site of China's fast growing answer to Silicon Valley, the new US $2 billion Cyberport project.

The idealism behind the project is to create an ultra-modern complex equipped with cutting-edge telecommunications and information facilities to match the needs of even the most demanding local and multinational information technology organizations.

It will be home to a strategic cluster of around 100 companies, employing some 10,000 people and is, in effect, a self-contained professional community, comprising a mix of 110,000mý intelligent offices, 27000m2 retail and leisure facilities - and in a later phase will also include a 175 bed luxury 5 star hotel and 3000 luxury apartments.

It is anticipated that by harnessing the capabilities housed in this world-class infrastructure, the Cyberport will help to consolidate Hong Kong's position as the premier information technology hub in Asia and enhance the competitiveness and development of other major economic sectors, such as banking and financial services, tourism and audiovisual production.

Blending interactive technology with nature The working environments consist of four tower complexes, two of which became operational in June 2003 - Cyberport 1 and Cyberport 2 - the other two to be completed in 2004.

The architects for the development, Wong Tung and Partners Ltd have set out to create a situation where state-of-the-art interactive technology is allowed to blend seamlessly with the natural environment, creating an atmosphere that encourages a positive state of mind and the development of fresh ideas.

Each element has been carefully orchestrated as part of the natural seafront setting and there are ergonomic workspaces with ocean views, green backdrops and open landscaped areas.

The existing towers are situated in a park at the eastern end of the complex and the paths, lawns and large shade trees are landscaped to imitate the curved shape of the buildings.

To visually accentuate the transfer from the natural world outside Cyberport 2, to the virtual world inside, the designers have created a themed link into the lobby and reception area.

A mix of light and dark wood parquet flooring has been chosen and laid in flowing lines, meandering through the reception area.

To highlight and reinforce the 'nature and technology' concept of the design, the dark wood walls too are contoured sympathetically with the floor layout and evoke the feeling of large, comforting trees.

There is a 1200m2 ceiling in this area that has to work hard to play its part in such an exciting design environment - and it is not found wanting.

StoSilent Panel comes out on top.

American interiors designers, Arquitectonica, have designed the ceiling with a sculpted three-dimensional appearance to complement the floor and wall contours, a feature further emphasised by the use of irregular length light strips suspended from the ceiling.

This is a demanding construction for a ceiling and for a number of reasons why the StoSilent Panel acoustic ceiling system from Sto was specified.

In terms of aesthetics, the system provides a classically seamless, suspended, acoustic ceiling over a wide area and although very durable, the boards used in the system are extremely light, making them easy to handle and cut on site - and with the use of infill panels, the three-dimensional appearance was achieved without too much difficulty.

The boards then need the strength to be tailored to support the various lighting, mechanical and electrical requirements.

Perhaps most importantly, the acoustics in the lobby area need to be carefully controlled as the wooden floor and hard wood walls are extremely resonant.

This is where the StoSilent system comes into its own and was the perfect solution for Acoustic Consultants Eurasia from Hong Kong.

The boards, which are manufactured from 96% recycled blown glass plus a special binder, have a porous surface with high levels of acoustic absorption over a wide range of frequencies, particularly in the speech band frequency of between 250-2000hertz.

The almost micro-porous characteristics of the boards overcome reverberation time (RT) by absorbing sound and transferring it behind the board and into the void, where it is converted into heat and effectively disappears.

The system, which is completely impervious to humidity, is completed with a coat of StoSilent Superfein acoustic fibre-free plaster, available in a comprehensive choice of 465 colours from the StoColor Sytem.

At Cyberport, a white finish has been chosen for the ceiling, resulting in a virtual wave effect.

This, combined with the contoured wood walls and meandering hardwood floor of the reception and lobby area, succeeds beautifully in meeting the design concept of visually accentuating the transfer from the natural world outside Cyberport 2, to the virtual world inside.

Supplier: Sto Products: StoSilent Panel Acoustic Ceiling System.

Architect: Arquitectonica, Miami, USA Wong Tung and Partners Ltd, Hong Kong, PRC Eurasia, Hong Kong (Acoustic Consultants).

Contractor: Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd.

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