The project
Non-profit organisation, Higher Potential focuses on education through the creative arts. The north London based charity helps disenfranchised young people with projects designed to divert them away from anti-social behaviour and instead into education, developing life skills and reaching their true potential.
Higher Potential rented a two-storey building with the intention of converting it into a recording studio for young people. The area would also feature space for dance, drama, and music video production.
The overall goal of the project was to construct a productive environment for young people to collaborate and develop creative skills. “We had a vision to create an inspirational space for young people and young adults,” said Dwayne Burke of Higher Potential. “Somewhere that would encourage them to reach their fullest potential.”
The challenge
Phase one of the project began in 2017, renovating the downstairs area into a recording studio. This required suitable acoustic treatment to avoid noise leakage and create an acoustically neutral space suitable for music production.
At the start of 2020, phase two of the project commenced, refurbishing the upstairs space into an education area for workshops and classes. Much like the downstairs, acoustic treatment was required to minimise sound leakage between rooms and to avoid disturbance to neighbours. “Being a recording studio and creative space, we needed to keep potential noise pollution from coming in or out, but also didn’t want to stifle the creativity of those coming to the space and performing or recording,” explained Dwayne.
The solution
After evaluating the various types of insulation available, Higher Potential decided that stone wool would be the best solution due to its natural acoustic properties. Higher Potential found fully tested solutions from ROCKWOOL® and installed a combination of the company’s Sound Insulation Slab and Acoustic RockFloor®.
ROCKWOOL Sound Insulation Slab is made from stone wool, the non-directional fibre orientation and density means sound waves are trapped and vibrations dampened. Sound Insulation Slab is Quiet Mark certified and was installed into timber stud walls throughout the studio to adequately absorb sound and prevent unnecessary noise leakage.
To minimise impact noise levels, RockFloor was installed between the separating floors, its high density made it especially effective at absorbing the impact of footsteps from the dance space above the recording studio.
The result
Using ROCKWOOL acoustic insulation solutions, Higher Potential has created a space suitable for professional-level music recording and production, allowing young people and young adults to gain skills and confidence through music.
Dwayne concluded, “ROCKWOOL played a crucial role in the development of the inspiring environment that we crafted for our young participants. The acoustics in our studio meet professional standards, and this is largely due to the use of ROCKWOOL products.”
