Architecture firm’s new headquarters serves as demonstration project

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1670486802\/ipvcbsr0ujx9qn3ncgmn.webp","id":"6574843"}]}]],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.theshewardpartnership.com\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.armstrongceilings.com\/commercial\/en\/performance\/sustainable-building-design\/sustain-ceiling-systems.html?etid=SCT-PD-Sust-AIAcom-TXT-202212--ARCH--Dec2022Article","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.armstrongceilings.com\/commercial\/en\/commercial-ceilings-walls\/optima-plant-based-ceiling-tiles.html?etid=SCT-PD-Optima-AIAcom-TXT-202212--ARCH--Dec2022Article","target","_blank"]],["sup"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.armstrongceilings.com\/commercial\/en\/commercial-ceilings-walls\/acoustibuilt-ceiling-panels.html?etid=SCT-PD-AcoustiBuilt-AIAcom-TXT-202212--ARCH--Dec2022Article","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.armstrongceilings.com\/commercial\/en\/performance\/total-acoustics.html?etid=SCT-PD-TotalAcc-AIAcom-TXT-202212--ARCH--Dec2022Article","target","_blank"]],["em"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.armstrongceilings.com\/commercial\/en\/performance\/sustainable-building-design\/sustain-ceiling-systems.html?etid=SCT-PD-Sust-AIAcom-TXT-202212--ARCH--Dec2022ArticleVanity","target","_blank"]]],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"AIA partner Armstrong Ceiling \u0026 Wall Solutions explores how employee survey results informed sustainability and acoustic choices for The Showered Partnership\u2019s own space."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"With a growing portfolio of more than 600 LEED projects globally, "],[0,[0],1,"The Sheward Partnership (TSP)"],[0,[],0,", one of the country\u2019s leading architectural design and sustainability consulting firms, was committed to integrating sustainability into every aspect of the design of its new Philadelphia headquarters."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cSustainability is our brand,\u201d said senior associate and sustainability director Michael Pavelsky. \u201cIt\u2019s our mission. It\u2019s in all the projects that we do whether we\u2019re pursuing certification from a green building rating system or not.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"When designing the new 9,150-square-foot space, TSP\u2019s design team was also informed by the results of an employee survey that acoustics had been an issue in the old space. \u201cThat was probably their largest concern,\u201d said Pavelsky. \u201cSo, we were committed to improving acoustics in the new space.\u201d"]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Three ceiling systems provide solution"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"TSP was able to address both requirements with a selection of three high-performance, sustainable ceiling systems from the "],[0,[1],1,"Armstrong Sustain portfolio"],[0,[],0,". By specifying products from the Sustain portfolio, the design team was assured that the ceilings met the most stringent industry sustainability compliance standards and would contribute to the LEED Platinum, WELL Platinum, and Living Building Challenge certifications they were targeting for the new space."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cWe had a significant number of sustainability and energy conservation goals for the project,\u201d said Pavelsky. \u201cWe carefully balanced the embodied carbon of our product selections with the aesthetic, durability, and acoustical properties of the materials we selected for the new space.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"With nearly twice the space it had in its previous headquarters, the firm was able to increase the number of private offices, expand the distance between workstations in the design studios, and add two meeting rooms, a large conference room, and a multi-purpose area."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],0,"Optima"],[0,[3],1," "],[0,[],1,"PB"],[0,[],0," (plant-based) tegular ceiling panels dominate the new space with a total of 2,715 square feet installed above the private offices, design studios, meeting rooms, conference room, and other areas. Optima panels have an NRC of 0.95, meaning they absorb 95% percent of the sound that strikes them, providing the improved acoustics the employees desired. \u201cWe chose Optima because we have always had a good experience with the product for acoustical ceilings,\u201d said Pavelsky. \u201cIt\u2019s also really good from a sustainability standpoint.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In the meeting rooms and large conference room, the acoustical performance provided by the Optima panels is reinforced by 476 square feet of "],[0,[4],1,"AcoustiBuilt"],[0,[],0," seamless acoustical ceilings. With an NRC of 0.80 and a CAC of 46, AcoustiBuilt offers "],[0,[5],1,"Total Acoustics"],[0,[],0," performance providing both sound absorption and sound blocking in the same ceiling. \u201cThe enclosed ceilings in the meeting rooms and conference room were chosen for acoustic reasons,\u201d explained Maegan Sweeney, lead interior designer and sustainability project manager. \u201cWe chose a combination of Optima PB panels to maintain ease of access for maintenance and AcoustiBuilt to improve acoustics.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A focal point in the center of the new headquarters is the multipurpose area, an open collaborative space where people can gather for impromptu meetings or events. To showcase the space and reduce any noise that may drift into adjacent areas, the design team chose to suspend a FeltWorks Blades Ebbs \u0026 Flows ceiling with an NRC of 0.70 above the 590-square-foot space. \u201cI liked the sculptural element of the Ebbs \u0026 Flows system,\u201d said Sweeney, \u201cand it provided a way to demonstrate how felt could be used in a ceiling application.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The new headquarters serves as a demonstration project, giving TSP\u2019s Sustainability Team first-hand knowledge of how different products perform. \u201cWe use it as a living lab where we test out products that we would put into our projects,\u201d Pavelsky said."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Working with products from the Sustain portfolio saves time researching materials, he explained. \u201cWe are looking at materials on so many different projects every day. So, knowing there is this group of products that meet all the criteria for the green building rating systems and that the sustainability information is easily accessible on the website, that\u2019s huge for us.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Diverting construction waste away from landfills was another goal the Sustainability Team had for its new headquarters. By recycling the old ceilings through the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program, the waste contributes to TSP\u2019s pursuit of the LEED v4 MR credit for Construction and Demolition Waste Management and the Living Building Challenge Imperative credit for Net Positive Waste. \u201cThat was included in our Construction Waste Management Plan,\u201d Sweeney said. \u201cThe total diverted\/recycled weight of old ceiling tiles to Armstrong was 1.68 tons, contributing toward the project\u2019s overall diversion rate of 83.7%.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[6],0,"To learn more about the Sustain portfolio, visit "],[0,[7],1,"www.armstronceilings.com\/sustain"],[0,[],1,"."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[6],1,"AIA does not sponsor or endorse any enterprise, whether \npublic or private, operated for profit. Further, no AIA officer, \ndirector, committee member, or employee, or any of its component \norganizations in his or her official capacity, is permitted to approve, \nsponsor, endorse, or do anything that may be deemed or construed to be \nan approval, sponsorship, or endorsement of any material of construction\n or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in\n any material or product."]]]]}