Spec Finish Awards 2021

29 Style was involved in the early design stages of the construction of this auditorium, which when fully opened seats 750 people and when divided creates two separate areas to seat 500 and 250. The challenge was tomaintain high acoustic separation with a dividing wall running between tiered seating; the solution was to design two automated steppedmovable walls that ran parallel to each other between the seating. The acoustic performance was specified as 55dB but when tested, the walls were found to achieve 59dBwhen closed. The system, designed with Dorma Huppe, includes panel faces finished in formica almond oak linewood, with the internal faces and pocket doors in formicamatt black. The horizontal joints on the panels are designed to line up with the tiering of the seating, and bespoke automatic acoustic seals engage as each panel meets the next, closing off the tiered elements of the auditorium. CONTRACT FrederickDouglass Building, Newcastle University, Tyne andWear ARCHITECT Sheppard Robson OPERABLE WALLS Style Door Systems style-partitions.co.uk The judges were wowed: “The final result is spectacular! When in operation, these huge panels seemingly float through the air like something out of a Harry Potter film. A truly wondrous, hugely technical installation, expertly designed and installed by Style.” CONTRACTORS AWARDS2021 GOLDWINNER