A mixture of metal and mineral fibre systems from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions were specified for a new teaching block for several reasons at least.

Some 2,000m2 of Armstrong’s D-H 700 microperforated metal Hook-On canopies, Axiom Knife Edge canopies with Ultima+ tiles and MicroLook 8 wood-effect metal tiles were specified by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council for the £12.5 million new secondary teaching block at Ystalyfera Welsh Medium Comprehensive School in the upper Swansea Valley in South Wales.

Used throughout the new 6,500m2 building, the D-H 700 metal Hook-On canopies with acoustic fleece were installed in classrooms whilst the Axiom Knife Edge with Ultima+ Vector tiles were used in other areas. Perla 600mm x 600mm mineral fibre tiles were also fitted in classrooms and toilet areas.

In addition, the 1200mm x 300mm MicroLook 8 Lay-In tiles finished in an oak wood effect and featuring a 100mm Axiom Classic profile were used in spaces such as circulation and break-out areas and the three-storey atrium. A spokesman for Neath Port Talbot Council said: “They are aesthetically pleasing. The ceiling rafts in the classrooms complied with sound and visual requirements but also allowed us to use the exposed structural slab as thermal mass.”