Background
In April 2019, Circle Development commissioned us to provide acoustic design advice for the refurbishment of Mountbatten House, a Grade II listed six-floor commercial building (approximately 221,000 sqft) in Basingstoke, located off the A339. The project includes modernizing the commercial office areas, installing new building services, and creating various amenity spaces such as a café/dining area, studio gym/conference facilities, and refurbishing the rooftop gardens.
Our Involvement
The project aims to comply with the British Council for Offices guidelines and achieve BREEAM, LEED, and WELL certifications, which include specific acoustic performance criteria. Additionally, the proposals must meet Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council’s planning policy requirements for noise emissions to nearby sensitive properties.
Over the past five years, we have reviewed the RIBA Stages 2, 3, and 4 design information and drawings to establish acoustic performance standards and highlight key acoustic design considerations. We also provided ad hoc design advice for RIBA Stage 5 Construction.
Key Areas Addressed
- Sound Mapping: Acoustic zoning throughout the building.
- External Envelope Design: Ventilation strategy to control external environmental noise ingress.
- Internal Airborne Sound Insulation: For walls and floors separating offices and other noise-producing spaces.
- Impact Sound Control: Mitigating footstep noise via separating floors in office spaces.
- Reverberation Control: Within open-plan offices, meeting rooms, reception, gym, café, and circulation spaces as part of the Cat A+ fit-out of Level 02.
- Fixed Plant Systems Noise Impact Assessment: For neighboring areas.
- Building Services Noise Control: To offices and other sensitive spaces.
We conducted an outline review of the internal mechanical services noise and provided recommendations for installing cross-talk attenuators and services penetrations to acoustically rated partitions.
We assessed proposed external plant noise emissions and advised on suitable attenuation measures to achieve the plant noise limits at both the nearest noise-sensitive receptors and the building itself.
Additionally, we reviewed reverberation control treatments and recommended additional sound-absorbent treatments.
Project Progress
Mountbatten House now known as Plant, Basingstoke, and more colloquially as the Hanging Gardens of Basingstoke, has been adapted to support a range of occupiers, from large-scale floors to smaller, fully-fitted, and furnished office suites. It is considered one of Britain’s 15 most important listed modern buildings.
For further reading on the project and to see more images click here
