Selected primarily due to its sound dampening qualities, speed of installation and low height infringement, Sika AcouBond was ideal for use in this situation.
The NEO Bankside project, which sees the development of 199 exclusive apartments and penthouses, required a flooring solution that would help to reduce the passage of sound between apartments. Designed specifically for use with wooden flooring systems, the Sika AcouBond system serves to enhance the feel, ambience and quality of the solid wood flooring.
Comprising a 3mm thick closed cell foam mat with pre-cut rectangular slots designed to be filled with SikaBond elastic adhesive, the AcouBond system is thin enough to be laid underneath a wooden flooring to provide an effective barrier against the passage of footfallnoise - a point of particular importance given the multiple occupancy and high quality expectations of the client throughout the design of the entire building.
The system itself is incredibly easy to install. The mat, which is supplied on a 25m2roll can be easily cut to the required size and shape of room making fitting effortless, whilst the precise pre-cut nozzle of the SikaBond elastic adhesive makes the filling of the slots simple and extremely precise.
Considering the expansion and contraction of wooden flooring systems due to interior climatic change and airborne moisture, any adhesive used in the fitting of the flooring must contain elastic properties. SikaBond adhesives have been specifically designed for use with the silent underlay mat and prevent the wood going into resonant vibration which results in excellent in-room sound performance as well as greatly reduced transmitted sound. In addition, the elastic nature of the SikaBond adhesiveallows for natural movement in the floor to occur without suffering any structural or aesthetic degradation.
Havwoods Accessories, based in Preston, supplied the Sika AcouBond system for installation at NEO Bankside. Darren Whiley, Technical Sales Manager, said: “Due to the exclusive nature of the NEO Bankside project it was important to ensure that we supplied a product that would be able to stand the test of time whilst providing excellent noise reduction qualities. Sika’s AcouBond system, which has seen in excess of 1.5 million m2 installed worldwide is continuing to grow in popularity, was ideal for this project and could be easily supplied in manageable rolls making transportation incredibly simple.”
Based on London’s Southbank and situated next to the Tate Modern, NEO Bankside is located in the very centre of the city’s cultural quarter. With views overlooking the vibrant cityscape, the luxury apartments required the very best products to be used to ensure there would be no future need to replace or refit any standard fittings, particularly the floor, which has been designed and installed with acoustics in mind.
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