CertainTeed Implements Indoor Environmental Quality Improvements at School
An elementary school in Slatington, Pa., is benefiting from much improved classroom acoustics and indoor air quality (IAQ), following a recent renovation that featured products and technical expertise from CertainTeed Building Science. Surveyed a few months after the remodel, the faculty of Slatington Elementary School reported an 88 percent decrease in noise complaints, 67 percent more student engagement and 50 percent fewer incidents of students having trouble completing tasks.
One of the main objectives of the renovation was converting the 1970s-era school’s open-concept interior space into state-of-the art, new self-contained classrooms. The design of these classrooms demanded superior acoustical control, IAQ and thermal and visual comfort, as these factors are critical to improving student performance and teacher retention. CertainTeed's mission was to investigate the impact of installing different, high-performance acoustical ceiling panels and gypsum board from its innovative product lines in six of the classrooms. Products installed included: Symphony m mineral fiber ceiling panels (0.70 NRC), Symphony f fiberglass ceiling panels (0.95 NRC), SilentFX noise-reducing gypsum board, AirRenew M2Tech Indoor Air Quality gypsum board, Sustainable Insulation fiberglass partition batts and CertaSpray closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation.