Client: Glow, Bluewater
Type of works: supply of Knauf Drywall’s Apertura plasterboard

The stunning new £60m events venue, Glow, Bluewater in Kent shows off both the extraordinary versatility of Knauf Drywall’s Apertura plasterboard and its outstanding acoustic performance. Designed by internationally renowned architects and exhibition experts Denton, Corker Marshall, the 5,200m2 events and exhibition venue is conceived of as a major landmark within Bluewater, providing additional reasons for over 28.1 million visitors per year to travel there by extending the Bluewater ‘day-out’ experience.

“Apertura met our specifications because it was recommended by our acoustic consultant and because it has the aesthetic qualities we were looking for – the perforations on the acoustic board match those on the external envelope,” explains architect Charles Liddington.

The design was particularly complex, involving bulkheads and curves, and led to close cooperation between the subcontractors Excel Plastering (Ilford) and Knauf’s own technical services. Director Peter Brewer says: “Knauf’s technical department was heavily involved in rewriting the specification and design of the supporting structures in order to meet the design and acoustic criteria of the project. It’s certainly been a challenge – for example, one of the ceilings bends in two planes over a length of around 150 metres.”

Knauf Apertura combines the sound absorption performance and attractive design of perforated gypsum board with a unique seamless finish. Seventeen different styles, two fleece colours and the Uniflott tapeless jointing system offer the designer complete creative freedom and a quality of finish that simply cannot be achieved with tiles.

Knauf Apertura plasterboards are used together with the Knauf Apertura Ceiling and Wall Liner systems to ensure optimum performance. Knauf Apertura ceilings provide a minimum of Class D absorption in accordance with Building Regulations Approved Document E when installed with a void depth of just 60mm. A Class C performance can be achieved with many of the designs.

Retail centres, office complexes, hospitals, schools, showrooms and galleries are typical examples of where Knauf Apertura has been used to provide a striking design feature with superior sound absorption to create a high quality environment.