A sound investment for Howdens’ offices

Sustainability, acoustics and aesthetics were the key focus when specifying the ceiling for Howdens Joinery Group’s new UK national logistics hub. Specify & Build reports. 

When choosing ceiling tiles for its new office space at Warth Park, near Northampton, Howdens Joinery Group was clear that they had to offer solid sound absorption, be responsibly and sustainably sourced, as well as offering great aesthetics to align with Howden’s business model. 

Howdens is a leading UK specialist kitchen supplier, selling only through trade customers. Founded in 1995, Howdens has grown since from just 14 depots to nearly 950 across the UK and Europe. 

Now at 2.5 million ft2, Warth Park is considered one of the leading logistics and business parks in the UK due to its excellent connectivity adjacent to the A45, based approximately 10 miles east of Northampton. 

Howdens now occupies three units at Warth Park as part of a strategic £104 million, three-unit, campus-style arrangement located within Roxhill Developments’ 160-acre logistics and business park. Presentation, exhibition and product launch space is supported by open plan offices, a staff canteen and refectory, as well as custom arrangements for the assimilation of several design and sales teams within a single, purpose-built facility. 

The 600,000ft2 of warehouse space, built to a 15m clear internal height suitable for rack-stored raw material and product, is further supplemented by 40,000ft2 of three-storey office space, intended to create a modern and purpose-designed staff environment across three interlinked floors. 

The fit-out of the office space called for the use of responsibly sourced and sustainable products, aligned with the modern design aspirations set out in Howden’s business model. Acoustic ceilings were needed to prevent noise breakout from private office spaces and absorbing sound in the larger, open-plan shared office areas. Moisture-resistant finishes were also required for the staff sanitary and changing facilities as well as the canteen space, with a modern, industrial aesthetic ensured throughout via the use of intermittent canopy-type arrangements. 

Zentia’s Prestige hA+ (previously known as Ultima+ OP) 600mm x 600mm Tegular24 edge tiles were installed with Axiom canopies in open-plan office and breakout areas, and also as wall-to-wall ceilings in meeting rooms and toilets, at Raunds 2 in Warth Park near Northampton. 

Zentia’s Prestige family of products is manufactured using up to 64% recycled content and is, itself, 100% recyclable. It is available in three core densities that allow specifiers to engineer sound absorption and attenuation for optimum and balanced acoustic performance. Specifiers can choose from low-density Prestige hA+, medium-density Prestige, and high-density Prestige dB for improved sound attenuation, up to 41dB. Prestige Colour is also available, offering Class B sound absorption. 

The Prestige family of mineral tiles and planks features a bright white lightly textured surface, with 87% light reflectance. At Raunds, the white tiles in the canopies were installed under the black soffits to give a contemporary industrial aesthetic and to complement Howdens’ corporate ID. 

Bespoke Construction Services’ Contract Director Paul Jackson said: “On this project, co-ordination with M&E fittings was critical and the aesthetic floating look was imperative to the client. The Zentia products gave a very clean and crisp finish to all areas.” 

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