"For educational facilities' design, functionality usually tops aesthetics. But both are possible and both have an important impact on students' progress through the academic year," adds Marshall. "For example, color can affect how we process information. Yellow is associated with creativity and blue with better concentration."

Students' concentration and understanding their lessons also has a deep connection with their ability to hear their instructors. "Creating a good acoustic experience improves learning and understanding. Every student should have the same opportunity to hear and understand what is being said. Due to its fiber structure, stone wool is one of those high-performing, sound-absorptive materials. It provides ROCKFON ceilings, baffles and islands with excellent noise reduction capabilities," explains ROCKFON acoustic specialist Gary Madaras.

Marshall continues, "ROCKFON ceilings provide a great line of defense against indoor health hazards and support the newest educational building codes and regulations. Our ROCKFON stone wool ceiling panels are resistant to mold, bacteria and humidity, and are GreenGuard Gold Certified for low VOCs. This stringent certification process considers safety factors that may impact people who are more vulnerable, such as children and seniors."

In addition to referencing GreenGuard Gold certification, the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED ratings also promote the advantages of daylighting for sustainable buildings. The white surface of ROCKFON ceilings can reflect up to 86 percent of available light. This better distribution of natural light helps educational facilities to lower electric lighting loads and reduce cooling costs, saving both energy and associated costs.

In addition to describing how to address the challenges of aesthetics, noise, indoor air quality, sustainability and lighting, "Education Spaces" presents facts, statistics and inspirational examples. The publication features a case study on Arkansas State University's Humanities and Social Services building and showcases images of educational interiors from campuses around the globe.

Among the ROCKFON ceiling systems that help create successfully designed, education spaces are:

• ROCKFON Alaska – elegant smooth white surface, best sound absorption, high fire performance, high light reflectance, in a choice of lay-in, tegular and concealed edge designs
• ROCKFON Color-all – 34 exclusive colors, smooth surface, best sound absorption, high fire performance, in a choice of lay-in, tegular and concealed edge designs
• ROCKFON Contour – frameless acoustic baffles with high sound absorption
• ROCKFON Impact – better sound absorption, high fire performance, high light reflectance, in square lay-in, a reinforced glass scrim enhances impact resistance
• ROCKFON Island – frameless acoustic islands with high sound absorption, in a choice of square or rectangular formats
• ROCKFON Koral – lightly textured white surface, better sound absorption, high fire performance, high light reflectance, in a choice of square and tegular edge designs
• ROCKFON Multiflex – vertically installed acoustic baffles with high sound absorption, three-sided white frame or two-sided galvanized frame
• ROCKFON Sonar – elegant lightly textured white surface, best sound absorption, high fire performance, high light reflectance, in a choice of lay-in, tegular and concealed edge designs, various sizes and formats including planks
• ROCKFON Sonar Activity – elegant lightly textured white surface, best sound absorption, high fire performance, high light reflectance, direct installation on to soffits maximizes ceiling height
• ROCKFON Tropic – smooth white surface, better sound absorption, high fire performance, high light reflectance, in a choice of square and tegular edge designs

Learn more about these ROCKFON ceiling systems in "Education Spaces – Ceiling solutions for a better way to learn." Product guides and data sheets, specification and installation guidelines, and project examples also are available at http://www.rockfon.com.