P&J Live, Aberdeen
The Project
Rockfon brings acoustic Tech to stunning TECA – The Event Complex Aberdeen
In October 2013, Aberdeen City Council announced that a new, £333million state-of-the-art events venue would be built. Rockfon is excited and proud to have played its part in helping bring this iconic project to successful fruition.
Located on a 130-acre site, TECA is being delivered by Aberdeen City Council in partnership with Henry Boot Developments and a £10million contribution from Scottish Enterprise.
Liaising with the Robertson Group, major stakeholders and Metsec, specialist interiors sub-contractor Linear Projects oversaw the design and were responsible for the installation of the specialist ceilings and walls. They worked in collaboration with Rockfon to ensure these systems met the rigorous acoustic and structural challenges.
Rockfon Technical Manager Tim Spencer recalls, “The initial need was for an elegant high-performance ceiling grid that could span 2500mm and support the originally specified ceiling infill. The answer here was a bespoke version of our Rockfon® System MaxiSpan grid. We were then briefed to find an acoustic ceiling and wall solution to the stringent acoustic challenges set in association with meeting very low frequency sound absorption requirements for the exhibition
spaces and main arena in particular, which would host a variety of music concerts. We worked in partnership with our parent company ROCKWOOL and the solution was a specially made 100mm thick Rockfon Color-all® black ceiling tiles in combination with 100mm ROCKWOOL FLEXI® overlay for the ceilings and 40mm thick Color-all panels together with 100mm or 160mm FLEXI for the walls.”
Working with Rockfon
Linear Projects Director John McTernan, “Working with the Rockfon team was a positive experience. They have the expertise and specialist product offering to answer the very particular demands of this project. A major challenge was to deliver an acoustic solution to control the reverberation of sound in the wide range of frequencies associated with a large performance space where, in the main arena, the ceiling height is up to 27metres. The fact that the tile and grid systems were available in the desired black colour meant this part of the brief could be answered whilst saving time and achieving a high-quality finish. We worked together throughout the process, consulting to arrive at the best possible solution.”
Scope of Works
Rockfon Specification Manager Jim Lundy, “In total 25,000m2 of Rockfon Color-all was specified for the project – 17000m2 1200x600x100mm for the reverberation controlling ceiling and 8000m2 2400x600x40mm for the acoustic wall panels. Color-all was specified in the standard Charcoal colour with Rockfon System MaxiSpan grid in matching matt black, which meant no post-installation colour application was required.”
The Rockfon MaxiSpan grid specified for TECA is perfect for large single spans – typically up to 3m – enabling greater flexibility and freedom to install and maintain the services. It is ideal for use with a variety of tiles including long planks to create a more seamless appearance than traditional grids by using fewer components which can be combined in many configurations to suit a wide range of tile dimensions. Rockfon System MaxiSpan enables optimum design freedom due to the variety of edges it is available in – lay-in, tegular and concealed – with its main runners being 75mm deep, providing higher stability.
The stunning scheme is taking shape on a grand scale, generating 600 jobs during the construction period and 352 full-time-equivalent permanent positions once complete. TECA is a key element of Aberdeen City Council’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan to grow the Granite City’s economy. Over the next decade it is expected to attract major artists and events contributing an additional 4.5million visitors, generating £113million in visitor spend and £63million net GVA to the Scottish economy.
Council Leader Jenny Laing, “TECA is a vital facility that will ensure Aberdeen can compete not just with other Scottish and UK cities, but with other global energy capitals. It will attract bigger names in entertainment, and more major international events and conferences…”
A remarkable feature of TECA will be its modular energy centre. Making use of advanced CCHP (combined cooling, heat and power) technology, the centre will serve the energy requirements of both the hotel and the main building. The centre will also be home to a hydrogen fuel cells programme that will fuel the buses serving the site as part of an ambitious integrated hydrogen transport project.