Assembly C

Leading acoustic ceiling manufacturer OWA UK has fulfilled a 2,000m² contract for its OWAtecta S80 demountable metal ceiling raft, with the innovative system being used on two of the buildings that form part of Assembly – a landmark riverside commercial office development in Bristol.

Designed by AHMM Architects and constructed by Galliford Try, Assembly Bristol comprises three multistorey buildings, the first of which was completed in 2021.The last two phases, known as Building B and Building C, have now been delivered and OWA UK worked closely with its approved sub-contractor Morrissey to design and install the trapezium and rectangular shaped mesh rafts throughout the open Cat A floors.

The OWAtecta S80 mesh rafts were installed on nine floors at Assembly C, with the trapezium shaped ceiling rafts blending into the footprint of the kite shaped building to provide a flexible and stylish acoustic ceiling solution.

Balancing aesthetic appeal with acoustic performance, OWA UK’s OWAtecta S80 demountable metal ceiling rafts help disguise M&E installations while providing improved sound absorption and limiting noise pollution from floor to floor. With wellbeing a key part of the overall design of Building C, OWA UK’s acoustic ceiling solutions have been tailored to create comfortable communal collaborative spaces and ensure speech privacy in others.

As the new S80 demountable ceiling raft is a bespoke solution, OWA UK was able to design the varying shaped ceiling rafts to meet the specific requirements of each building’s unique footprint. OWA UK’s approved sub-contractor Morrissey developed a smart process of constructing the supporting frames on the floor and raising them via a board lift to the ceiling soffit for attachment to the threaded rod hangers.

Within the stairwell corridors, OWAtecta S36 Progress, hook-on, black, mesh planks were installed. Each plank included a black, fabric wrapped, rockwool, class A acoustic pad to reduce reverberation in these areas.