Case Study: Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Pyrok™ StarSilent
Perkins + Will, HGA, and DPR partnered to create a modern, state-of-the-art healthcare facility located in Palo Alto, CA: The Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The facility opened to the public in December 2017 after over a decade of planning.
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford (Palo Alto, CA), Pyrok™ StarSilent, 25mm Smooth
The project focused on creating a technologically advanced facility with a family-friendly atmosphere, while being environmentally sustainable. The Architecture & Design teams embraced evidence-based design features, like views of nature, access to the outdoors, natural lighting, and the creative use of recycled materials such as Pyrok™ StarSilent for the terraced ceiling.
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford (Palo Alto, CA), Pyrok™ StarSilent, 25mm Smooth
StarSilent is a seamless, acoustical plaster system that is approved for use for on ceilings, walls and other interior surfaces. StarSilent plasters are composed recycled-marble aggregate. The rigid, sound-absorptive StarSilent boards are composed of 96% post-consumer, recycled glass. Compared with other acoustical plaster systems that use a soft, fiberglass pad to absorb sound, the rigid nature of StarSilent boards provides measurable value to any project:
StarSilent compressed-glass-bead boards are rigid enough to support their own weight without the requirement of a drywall or plywood (or other) substrate. Removing the requirement for a structural substrate layer improves acoustical performance by enabling the system to utilize the air space in the ceiling plenum to absorb troublesome low-to-mid frequencies.
Removing the requirement for structural substrate layer reduces overall project costs since the material/labor associated with installing the GWB substrate is also removed.
StarSilent Components
StarSilent boards (2) are attached directly to metal framing (1) via zinc-coated drywall screws (3). The edges of the panels are glued together using the factory-supplied adhesive, which is also used to spot-treat the screw heads. After lightly sanding, the panels are coated with a base coat plaster (4) and allowed a minimum of 36 hours to dry. The finish coat plaster (5) is then applied to achieve a smooth, seamless, sound-absorbing surface.
Metal studs installed at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, in preparation for StarSilent installation
To achieve acoustical design goals while maintaining continuity of finishes, StarSilent boards are installed at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, prior to StarSilent Smooth plaster.
With the project aiming for LEED Gold, StarSilent was a natural fit for this ceiling. Sustainable standards and certifications according to the USGBC LEED, green format program can be found online (https://www.starsilent.com/green-building/).
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford (Palo Alto, CA), Pyrok™ StarSilent, 25mm Smooth
Hospitals offer additional acoustical challenges, and designers are often tasked with using materials that are durable and easy to clean. This typically leads to dense, reflective surfaces in high use spaces like lobbies, waiting rooms, and patient care areas. It becomes imperative that sound transmission and absorption are addressed in order to comply with HIPAA regulations pertaining to patient privacy.
StarSilent is available in three different thicknesses (3/8”, 5/8”, and 1”) and offers NRC ratings between 0.55 and 0.85.
Project Partners: Perkins + Will, HGA, DPR Construction
Construction Completed: 2017
Products Featured: Pyrok™ StarSilent, 25 mm Smooth