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When the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) decided to renovate its South Building, it sought replacement ceiling panels that offered both a modern look and modern performance, and would support its pursuit of LEED certification, a rigorous and internationally recognized certification from the Canadian Green Building Council.
With ROCKFON, it found a solution that would uplift its architectural vision and uphold its design requirements.
Located at 222 Bremner Boulevard in downtown Toronto, the 1.2 million-square-foot MTCC South Building was designed by B+H Architects and opened in 1997. After 16 years, the space needed an update and the ceiling panels had begun to show their age. Addressing the convention center’s essential performance and sustainability goals, ROCKFON worked closely with key facility staff of MTCC.
Joshua Jaikaran, MTCC’s facilities technical coordinator, served as project lead and managed the South Building’s renovation from the start to completion, including the product selection. Jaikaran’s colleagues, Vlaad Zahradnik and Scot Muncaster, provided project support while sustainability officer Vivian Fleet managed the LEED review process.
“We have had a sustainable procurement policy in place since 2008, which guides us in all purchasing practices,” says Jaikaran. “Choosing products that have recycled content and low/no-VOCs is important to the convention center.”
Rockfon Koral ceiling panels have earned UL Environment’s GREENGUARD Gold Certification and contain up to 34 percent recycled content.
ROCKFON ceiling panels are made of water-resistant stone wool, an inorganic material that does not promote growth of mold or bacteria.
Excellent sound absorption was another of the MTCC’s performance criteria. Rockfon Koral carries UL Classification for three acoustical categories. For MTCC, high sound absorption was most important, which is measured as a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.85.
“Since we are Canada’s largest convention center, many of our events can be quite large,” says Jaikaran. “We need to contain noise and provide acoustic privacy, rather than having sound penetrate the plenum and carry to adjacent spaces.”
ROCKFON’s district manager for Ontario and western Canada, Scott Debenham, adds, “Rockfon Koral’s high NRC mitigates what’s known as the ‘cocktail affect.’ When a large group of people gathers in an open space, they escalate the volume of their voices, competing to hear one another. This makes it increasingly difficult to hear the individual conversations taking place.
"Our ceiling panels’ high sound absorption makes it easier to hear one another without raising your voice, as well as enhances speech intelligibility to hear a speaker addressing the large group.”
Rockfon Koral reflects 86 percent of light from the panel’s surface to the building’s interior, contributing to LEED criteria for energy efficiency. Jaikaran elaborates, “Having a white ceiling tile with a smooth surface and high light reflectance brightens up the space, which could potentially mean energy savings, light reduction, and a cooler space.”
