Room and sound comfort redefined: HeartFelt® Baffle ceiling from Hunter Douglas in the Ravensburg District Hall

The acoustics in open-plan offices play a key role in the well-being and productivity of employees. In the renovation of the Ravensburg District Hall, planned by blocher partners, Hunter Douglas Architectural made a significant contribution to improving the room acoustics and design. The innovative HeartFelt® Baffle ceiling was installed on several floors and impresses with its first-class acoustic properties and attractive appearance.

First-class acoustics and design

HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings offer outstanding acoustic properties and are mainly used in rooms where good sound quality is important, such as open-plan offices, concert halls or theatres. The sound-absorbing baffle elements made of non-woven thermoformed PES fibres have been proven to reduce noise pollution and reverberation. Each baffle has a width between 40 and 80 mm, a height between 100 and 500 mm, and a maximum length of 2000 mm. This variability allows architects a great deal of design freedom and the creation of open ceiling systems that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The sound-absorbing effect of the felt combined with the correct arrangement of the ceiling system determine how sounds move through the room. Depending on the selected distance between the baffles and the height at which the ceiling system is suspended, the sound absorption coefficient can therefore reach a value between 0.45 and 0.6.

Project realisation in the Ravensburg district building

As part of renovation work in the Ravensburg district building, HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings measuring 40 x 150 mm in two shades of grey (7596 light grey and 7597 medium grey) were installed over an area of approx. 1300 m². Jörg Wöllner, Project Consultant at Hunter Douglas Architectural, explains: “We installed the HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings floor by floor: in the open-plan offices, corridors, lounge areas and in the kitchen, each in two different shades.” “What worked very well on this project was the collaboration between the architect, the contractor and Hunter Douglas Architectural. As a supplier, we worked perfectly with the installer and drew up installation plans, which were checked and signed off by the architect, so that the HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings could be carefully planned and installed on several floors one after the other. That was perfect teamwork,” emphasises Wöllner. The architect opted for HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings due to the combination of acoustic values, design possibilities and the warm atmosphere that the felt ceilings create in comparison to a metal ceiling.

Certified product quality with easy installation and maintenance

HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings are not only acoustically effective, but also user-friendly and easy to install. Each baffle element is attached to a support system with steel clips, allowing for quick and flexible installation. The baffles are also very lightweight and easy to maintain due to their dirt and dust repellent properties, allowing quick access to the installations above the ceiling system. The baffle ceilings belong to fire resistance class B-s1, d0 according to DIN EN 13501-1, which makes them flame-retardant and which fulfils the high requirements for fire protection in public facilities. The entire HeartFelt® product range from Hunter Douglas Architectural is recyclable and reusable and is Cradle to Cradle Bronze certified.

Construction panel Renovation of Ravensburg district building

Realisation: 2023
Architect: blocher partners GmbH Stuttgart
Ceiling system: Hunter Douglas Architectural
Material: HeartFelt® Baffle ceilings 40×150 mm, colours: 7596 light grey and 7597
medium grey
Quantity: approx. 1300 m²
Contractor: Apleona R&M Ausbau Stuttgart GmbH