Ben Hancock, Managing Director of Oscar Acoustics, answers readers’ questions on recycled acoustic finishes.

SonaSpray acoustic ceiling spray in Oscar Acoustics’ HQ – the Oscar Innovation Centre (photo: Hufton+Crow).

Why is sustainability important when it comes to acoustic finishes?
The UK’s built environment is responsible for around 30 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. The UK government has set a legally binding target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and in 2021, introduced green building guidance requiring buildings to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent. Under this standard, all new commercial spaces must be net zero ready, ensuring they won’t need retrofitting to meet future sustainability goals. This shift is reshaping construction, impacting everything from energy efficiency to building materials.

What are the benefits of using recycled acoustic finishes?
As sustainability and wellbeing continue to take centre stage in construction, acoustics must go beyond basic noise control to help achieve a building’s environmental targets and also enhance user health and comfort. With excessive noise capable of reducing productivity, and affecting physical and mental health, effective sound control is becoming a cornerstone of tomorrow’s buildings, fostering focus, relaxation and overall wellbeing. Recognising this, green building certifications such as LEED, BREEAM and WELL are placing greater emphasis on acoustic performance in the built environment.

What types of products are currently available?
Acoustic sprays and plasters are incredibly effective at controlling sound reverberation and echo, the main cause of excess noise. These acoustic solutions are designed to absorb sound energy, rather than reflect it, significantly reducing reverberation and unwanted noise. Unlike rigid acoustic panels, acoustic sprays allow seamless integration into any interior design scheme, achieving superb acoustics without sacrificing aesthetics. Our SonaSpray range of recycled acoustic sprays offer class-leading acoustic solutions for all sectors including offices, education, industrial, entertainment, leisure and hospitality.

What are recycled acoustic finishes typically made from?
It is important to look for acoustic products made from renewable materials. SonaSpray acoustic sprays are made from fire-treated recycled paper and other rapidly renewable natural resources, including cotton and wood. SonaSpray can effectively lower the carbon footprint of a building project by sequestering rich stores of carbon for the life of the structure or application.

What other factors are important to look for when searching for an acoustic product?
Sacrificing safety and performance for short-term gains rarely pays off, and in matters of fire safety, there can be no room for error. The booming demand for acoustic products has flooded the market with options that overpromise but underdeliver. Established companies are left grappling with the fallout, bearing the brunt of costly reworks, unwittingly putting building occupants at risk.

This highlights the importance of ‘knowing your product’, as not all products are created equal. When it comes to specifications, architects must request evidence to support any product claims to ensure that they are what they say they are. Shockingly, only a handful of acoustic products can provide relevant fire-rated certification, for the specified material colour and depth. This is why premium acoustic sprays with third-party certifications like SonaSpray are so in demand and are increasingly being used to tackle overbearing noise within commercial properties.

Thankfully, the industry’s push for fire safety is moving at a rapid pace, and the need for relevant third-party certifications is now top of UK specifiers’ wishlists. Products that can prove their performance are now worth their weight in gold, allowing architects to sleep easy in the knowledge that when it comes to the crunch, products can be relied upon to play their part.

SonaSpray exceeds the latest fire requirements set under the updated Fire Safety: Approved Document B. Its Class 0 to BS476 & B-s1,d0 fire rating provides significant benefits by providing little to no smoke and absolutely no droplets, assisting in the safe escape of occupants.

Can recycled acoustic finishes contribute towards sustainable building certification schemes?
Building standards like LEED, BREEAM, and WELL are revolutionising how we design the spaces where we live, work and thrive. They reduce environmental impact while prioritising occupant wellbeing. Our SonaSpray range of has been designed to satisfy many sustainable design certification systems, including BREAAM, SKA, Living Building Challenge and LEED. Furthermore, our SonaSpray acoustic spray finishes are M1 Classified as Low Emitting Building Materials and are GREENGUARD Gold Certified for Indoor Air Quality.

SonaSpray ensures that buildings not only meet sustainability standards but also enhance occupant health. The result is that our products have been applied in some of the UK’s greenest projects, including the Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia and Oscar Acoustics’ own state-of-the-art headquarters – the Oscar Innovation Centre. Our purpose-built HQ has not only been awarded the Green Plaque but has also achieved an A+ EPC rating, defined by assessors as ‘net zero CO2 emissions’. The development also has an anticipated Energy Performance Asset Rating (Non-Domestic Building) of A+, putting it in the top 0.35 per cent most energy-efficient schemes anywhere in England.

What happens to these finishes at the end of their design life?
If for whatever reason a client decides they want SonaSpray removed we are happy to take it back and have it milled into acoustic thermal cavity fill.

For further information, please visit the Oscar Acoustics website.