Where silence is essential

The former Reichsbahn Repair Works site in Berlin’s Friedrichshain district is known to most citizens, especially tourists, by its abbreviation, "RAW".Until recently, the 51,000 m² site was considered the last industrial wasteland in Berlin yet to be modernised. Over the years, however, various cultural and sports institutions with national reputations, as well as gastronomic establishments, have set up here, transforming the "Royal Prussian Railway Workshop Berlin II", which opened in 1867, into one of Berlin’s creative hotspots. In 2019, the oldest hall on the site reopened following extensive renovations, being handed over to its new operator, the "House of Music". Inside the hall, extraordinary spaces have been created based on plans by ZOOMARCHITEKTEN. KAEFER Construction GmbH in Dahlewitz was responsible for the hall's unique acoustic design. Using innovative room-in-room solutions with Rigidur H gypsum fibreboards, the drywall professionals impressed the 12th Rigips Trophy jury, winning the Acoustic Systems category.

Image

The previously war-damaged, later only provisionally restored hall once housed the old wheelset machining workshop. The approximately 4,500 m² building thus had a distinctly “rugged” charm. Photo: Patrick Pleul

The hall, which was previously war-damaged and later only provisionally restored, once housed the old wheelset machining workshop. The building, which covers an area of approximately 4,500 m², thus has a distinctly "rugged" charm. The hall, which is located on the ground floor of the three-storey building, was designed for rail access, which is why it has a clear room height of about 6 m. Old masonry and tall historic cast-iron pillars further emphasise the building's industrial character – a feature that was intended to remain visible and tangible after renovation.

The industrial heritage of these spaces is perfectly suited to their new use, as work is still carried out here – albeit under far more creative circumstances than during the time of the Reichsbahn. The 'House of Music', which moved into the hall in 2019, sees itself as a hub for musicians, businesses and organisations within the music industry. The “British and Irish Modern Music Institute”, for example, offers internationally top-level bachelor's programmes here. A working environment has been created that offers ample space for artistic development.

Image

Originally, a solution with very heavy board materials, covered solely with a top layer of wood wool lightweight boards (HWL), was planned. Together with the technicians from RIGIPS, however, a wall system based on Rigidur H gypsum fiberboards was developed instead, which brought with it a number of advantages. Photo: KAEFER Construction GmbH

"Noisy rooms" promise silence

A central point of contact is the so-called "noisy rooms" – special rooms for film, music, and audio productions that musicians and other creatives can flexibly rent. “Regardless of whether they are rented by the hour or used as a long-term rehearsal space, all ‘noisy Rooms’ had to feature the best possible sound insulation", explains Dipl.-Ing. Mario Heß, responsible estimator and technical concept developer at KAEFER Construction GmbH. “This acoustic separation of the 39 room cells of different sizes was especially important because at times there were only a few centimetres between the individual constructions – and, for instance, musicians obviously must not disturb each other during rehearsals."

A fortunate coincidence for everyone involved resulted in an extremely innovative construction solution. Nearly 13 years ago, this exact assignment was part of Mario Heß’s diploma thesis, so his initial considerations were very well-founded. "Depending on the use of the up to 4.5-meter-high spaces, you deal with very different sound wavelengths in terms of volume and frequency. So, we looked for freestanding room constructions that would provide the highest possible level of sound insulation and balanced interior acoustics. Due to the very narrow spacing between the room cells, only an internal, single-sided soundproof cladding was possible", says Mario Heß.

Mounted on over 10,000 steel springs

In order to provide the necessary noise protection to surrounding areas and the adjacent office spaces within the building, all "noisy Rooms" were elastically mounted on mastic asphalt floor slabs and a total of over 10,000 steel springs. Similar to the approach used for earthquake protection, this creates a damping effect against vibrations as well as structure-borne noise.

To ensure effective airborne sound insulation, the KAEFER Construction Berlin team modified the complex room-in-room systems developed by the acoustics specialists at wax GmbH Berlin, which consist of eight or sometimes nine layers. Alongside various types of insulation and wood wool lightweight board layers, Rigidur H gypsum fiberboards and steel sheet inserts form the core components of the walls and ceilings, providing the mass required for effective soundproofing.

"The original plan called for very heavy board materials, covered solely with HWL boards. While this construction would have achieved the desired sound insulation levels of over 90 dB, the KAEFER technicians considered it comparatively uneconomical and technically somewhat unbalanced. Together with the RIGIPS technicians, KAEFER instead developed a wall system with several advantages."

Image

"Noisy Rooms" at the House of Music: special rooms for film, music, and audio productions that musicians and other creatives can flexibly rent. Photos: Patrick Pleul

Large-format gypsum fibreboards provided crucial advantages

The first of these advantages was provided almost by default by the Rigidur H gypsum fiberboards: they were delivered as large boards (1,250 x 2,000 mm). "The originally specified boards would have been only 625 x 2,000 mm. That would have meant comparatively more joints and a higher proportion of filling. The higher number of joints would, in turn, have negatively impacted flexibility. Screwing the four boards into 1.5 mm thick steel sheet profiles also seemed uneconomic – more profiles per wall would simply have been required to accommodate the board offsets. Another advantage: the joints in the large Rigidur H boards can be glued, which is also beneficial in terms of soundproofing", explains Mario Heß.

Based on these considerations, the wall system was developed as follows: first, a 100 mm thick mineral wool insulation was inserted into the CW profiles of the substructure and then covered with two layers of Rigidur H. This was followed by mounting a 1.2 mm thick steel sheet insert, which was spot-fixed with special self-tapping screws through the gypsum fiberboards to the substructure. The third and fourth layers of gypsum fibreboards were then screwed into the sheet steel insert. This significantly simplified the installation of all further components, such as the HWL top layers with timber substructure, absorber boxes, and various wall and ceiling constructions. The pure construction time for the nearly 40 booths was therefore only about six months.

Image

Despite the mass required for sound insulation, the wall construction results in a flexible shell that exactly fit the acoustic requirements. The measured sound insulation between rooms was 98 dB. Photo: Patrick Pleul

A model construction

Overall, the wall system results in a flexible shell, despite the mass required for sound insulation, that matches the acoustic requirements exactly. The calculated behaviour of the individual components and the entire construction had previously been determined by the acousticians at wax GmbH with respect to various frequencies and vibrations. "KAEFER had never realised a comparable wall system before this project. The subsequent on-site sound tests by the acoustics planner confirmed our approach even more. The actual measured sound insulation between rooms was 98 dB. Because of these results, KAEFER has subsequently received further project inquiries with similarly strict soundproofing requirements."

The impressive sound insulation at the "House of Music" is supported by many other details: all door openings were made of steel hollow sections and fitted with heavy, triple-rebated soundproof doors. Studio windows were equipped with continuous soundproof glazing, and all media lines into the room cells are acoustically separated.

An expansion project truly out of the ordinary, which also impressed the Trophy jury’s experts. Both the extremely detailed preliminary planning by ZOOMARCHITEKTEN GmbH in cooperation with the acoustics specialists from wax GmbH, as well as the elaborate implementation of these “sound-absorbing” wall systems, made KAEFER Construction GmbH a worthy winner in the Acoustic Systems category. The result is a room-in-room system based on Rigidur H gypsum fiberboards, providing a structurally convincing response to very specific usage requirements.

Image

A special type of development project that impressed the Trophy jury’s experts. Both the extremely detailed planning by ZOOMARCHITEKTEN and the elaborate implementation of the “sound-absorbing” wall structures made KAEFER CONSTRUCTION GmbH, in their eyes, the well-deserved winner in the Acoustic Systems competition category. The result was a room-in-room system that offers a structurally convincing answer to very specific usage requirements. Photo: Patrick Pleul

Project Details

Client: Revaler Straße Property Zwei GmbH, Göttingen
Planning: ZOOMARCHITEKTEN GmbH, Berlin
Acoustics: wax GmbH, Berlin
Construction company: KAEFER Construction GmbH, Berlin location
Consulting Drywall systems: Michael Paeltz / Kai Fricke, Saint-Gobain Rigips GmbH

SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GMBH

RIGIPS. You have the solution for everything. #RigipsForEverything
Recognised as a system provider by construction professionals for its high-quality drywall solutions, RIGIPS offers a wide range of gypsum and speciality boards, Rigidur gypsum fibre boards, profiles, accessories and high-performance fillers and joint compounds. These tried-and-tested solutions have proven their effectiveness in interior and exterior drywall construction. In particular, our range of systems for weather-protected façade constructions makes us the ideal partner for timber frame construction projects. With its ever-expanding range of products for healthy living and its highly effective fire and sound protection systems, the manufacturer delivers maximum safety and comfort. This extensive product and system portfolio is complemented by a broad range of services and personal expert consultation, providing valuable support in planning and executing even the most demanding construction projects. At the same time, RIGIPS is committed to environmental responsibility, focusing on sustainable climate protection and the conservation of natural resources. For instance, gypsum board recycling solutions are closing material cycles, and packaging made from recycled materials is reducing the need for primary raw materials. RIGIPS has been recognised multiple times as a Brand of the Century and is one of the most important brands for modern drywall solutions in the German market. The company is part of the international Saint-Gobain Group.

In a nutshell: Rigips® – building better for people and the environment.

ABOUT SAINT-GOBAIN

As a global leader in sustainable lightweight construction, Saint-Gobain develops, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial sectors. Its integrated solutions for renovating public and private buildings, lightweight construction and decarbonising the construction and industrial sectors are developed through continuous innovation. These solutions offer both sustainability and performance. The Saint-Gobain Group is guided by its purpose: "MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME".

• €51.2 billion in sales in 2022
• More than 168,000 employees in 75 countries
• Committed to achieving CO2 neutrality by 2050

Find out more about Saint-Gobain at www.saint-gobain.de
and follow us on LinkedIn Saint-Gobain Germany.

Further information:
SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GMBH
Schanzenstraße 84
40549 Düsseldorf
P.O. Box 11 09 48
40509 Düsseldorf
Phone 02 11 / 55 03-0
Fax 02 11 / 55 03-208
[email protected]

Editorial contact:
baumarketing.com GmbH
Christoph Tauschwitz
Laubenweg 13
D-45149 Essen
Phone: +49 201 2202 400
Fax: +49 201 2202 460
[email protected]