Office interiors across the globe benefit from the design, acoustics, indoor air quality, lighting and fire safety of ROCKFON stone wool ceiling panels and complementary specialty metal ceiling panels and ceiling suspension systems. Featuring workplace projects from across the world, ROCKFON shares Office Spaces: Ceiling Solutions to Help People Reach New Heights. The new 12-page publication is available free for download at www.rockfon.com.

“The choices made in surfaces, color, size and profiles have a profound impact on people’s workdays and can make a positive impact on the mood of a space,” says Chris Marshall, ROCKFON’s vice president of marketing and business development in North America. “Along with our smooth white panels, we offer an expansive color palette. Choose from a breadth of panels, sizes and patterns to better define areas and functions in a particular space, or create a unique look by spanning planks across entire corridors. With our variety of edge options, you can create a layout that lifts the whole performance of a room—and the people in it.”

He continues, “Trends in office building design feature more workers occupying increasingly less office space with no sound barriers between them. The days of private offices are for the most part a luxury of the past. Adaptive reuse of cavernous spaces, open collaboration layouts, large dining and recreation areas adjacent to work areas and the constant sound of office equipment are all contributing to increased noise levels and difficulty concentrating.”

To inhibit office noise from traveling through an open space and disturbing people, a highly sound absorptive ceiling typically is required. Due to its open porous structure, stone wool is a high-performing, sound-absorptive material used to manufacture ROCKFON ceiling panels, baffles and islands and imbued with excellent noise reduction capabilities.

Marshall notes, “In rooms or areas where small to large groups of people gather to hear a presentation or videoconference with colleagues on another continent, efficient communication can only be accomplished with low reverberance, lack of echoes and high speech intelligibility. In other words, sound control with high-performing, sound-absorptive ceilings. ROCKFON ceiling solutions reach the highest class in sound absorption for optimum speech intelligibility.”

In addition to acoustic performance, ROCKFON ceiling systems also help improve indoor air quality in offices. Stone wool offers no nutritional value, making it naturally resistant to harmful bacteria and molds that cause skin infections, pneumonia and other airborne illnesses. ROCKFON’s extensive portfolio of stone wool acoustic ceiling solutions has earned UL Environment’s GREENGUARD Gold Certification for low-emitting products.

“The health benefits of improved IAQ and increased natural light in the workplace include higher productivity and fewer lost workdays, as well as a more positive morale,” adds Marshall. “Our white ceilings reflect up to 86 percent of available light, dispersing natural light more effectively. The better distribution of light means offices can lower their light loads and reduce cooling costs.”

Along with energy efficiency, ROCKFON stone wool ceiling products are made from basalt rock and contain up to 43 percent recycled material. Combined with the benefits of light reflectance, acoustic performance and mold-resistance, the products contribute to office projects’ sustainable goals including those seeking LEED certification.

Helping further protect workers’ health and safety, stone wool withstands temperatures up to 2150 degrees Fahrenheit. It does not melt, burn or create significant smoke. These attributes help improve overall fire safety and limit building damage. Durable and low-maintenance, ROCKFON stone wool ceiling products supplied in North America are supported with a 30-year warranty.

ROCKFON’s new Office Spaces: Ceiling Solutions to Help People Reach New Heights and many other inspirational and educational documents can be found at www.rockfon.com (PDF).