Inland Revenue facility, Bootle

Type of works: supply and installation of Steelsorba acoustic panels.

A letter coming from the Inland Revenue always gets the heart beating a little faster when one picks it up from the letterbox. It is very likely that the letter was sorted at the high tech Inland Revenue facility at Bootle. Acoustic tests in this environment showed that high noise levels were prevalent and it was important to keep noise levels as low as possible in line with the levels laid out in Legislation.

The requirement for such a facility was to have an acoustic panelling system which would line all the walls and also have a tough durable finish. The product selected by the architect was the Steelsorba industrial acoustic panelling system. This has a finished perforated steel facing encapsulating a fibre free acoustic infill. Over 800 panels were supplied to cover the walls of the main sorting hall.