How Do Stone Wool Ceilings Help Support Health and Well-Being In Commercial Spaces?

Designing healthcare, office and educational facility interiors demands strategic material selection. Rockfon® stone wool ceilings provide durable, elegant acoustic solutions to create healthy and safe environments for occupants. 

Whether renovating an office or designing multi-story healthcare facilities from the ground up, architects and designers play a critical role in creating spaces that promote occupant health:  

  • Healthcare facilities prioritize high-performing acoustics for comfort, along with aesthetically pleasing environments and healthy IAQ. 
  • Offices need spaces that foster productivity and well-being. 
  • Educational settings require conducive environments for learning and concentration. 

The ceiling plays an important role in occupant health and well-being, integrating essential functions such as acoustic performance, safety and sustainability.  

Rockfon stone wool ceiling tiles and panels empower architects and designers to enhance spaces with both style and functionality. These solutions are durable and low maintenance, featuring cleanability and moisture resistance.  

Curious to know how integrating stone wool ceiling products can bring occupant health and safety benefits to your project? Read on to find out. 

What is stone wool?

Rockfon ceiling products are created from stone wool, which is derived primarily from natural basalt rock. Stone wool is manufactured by melting the rock into lava-like material and then spinning this material into fibers using powerful airstreams. These fibers are layered for dimensional stability, and a binding agent and oil are added to enhance strength and hydrophobic properties. After curing and cooling, the tiles are cut to size, sanded and coated and undergo rigorous quality control before being shipped.

As a ceiling material, stone wool excels at absorbing sound waves, effectively reducing noise levels and creating quieter indoor environments. Enhanced acoustic comfort is particularly valuable in settings such as hospitals, offices and schools, where concentration and communication are essential.

According to a 2023 survey conducted by The Farnsworth Group and Rockfon, architects prioritize mold and mildew resistance, durability, product life span and fire safety as critical attributes — alongside acoustic performance — when specifying ceiling tiles for commercial building projects. In these commercial spaces, where occupants may spend extended periods indoors, maintaining high indoor air quality (IAQ) is essential for comfort, health and productivity. Stone wool supports IAQ in multiple ways.

How Stone Wool as a Ceiling Material Impacts Occupant Health

1. Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)

Understanding NRC is crucial for architects designing spaces that require effective noise control and acoustic comfort. NRC measures how well ceiling materials absorb sound across key frequencies (250, 5,000, 1,000 and 2,000 hertz), with ranges typically falling anywhere from 0 (low absorption) to 1 (high absorption).

Rockfon acoustic ceiling products can achieve NRCs of 0.95 or higher, making them an ideal choice for environments such as patient care areas, open offices, conference rooms and classrooms. In these spaces, the soft hum of conversation is clear and distinct, while background noise remains minimized. This, in turn, helps create environments that promote focused learning, peaceful healing and/or productive collaboration.

Hear the difference:

2. Sound Transmission Class (STC)

STC ratings measure how well building materials, including ceilings, can block airborne sound. Stone wool, known for its exceptional acoustical capabilities, plays a crucial role in enhancing IAQ by supporting high STC ratings. By using stone wool as a ceiling material, architects can effectively reduce sound transmission between adjacent rooms. This minimizes disruptions, protecting privacy and improving overall acoustic comfort for occupants.

3. Fire Safety

Like IAQ, fire safety is a critical consideration in building design. Stone wool, manufactured using a process similar to what occurs in a volcano, offers significant advantages here as well.

Stone wool is inherently noncombustible. This means it does not contribute to the spread of fire and can withstand over 1,800°F without melting or emitting toxic gases. In the event of a fire, stone wool acts as a barrier, helping to contain flames and smoke and providing valuable time for safe evacuation.

Additionally, stone wool’s volcanic origins contribute to its fire-resistant properties. The material is made through a process where volcanic rock is melted and spun into fibers, creating a dense and durable material that inhibits fire spread. This enhances the overall safety of the building, leveraging stone wool’s inherent properties to maintain high safety standards without additional chemical treatment.

4. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

VOCs are chemicals emitted from various building materials and furnishings that can have adverse effects on long-term health. Rockfon has undertaken rigorous testing and certification processes to verify products’ low VOC emissions. Certifications such as UL Environments GREENGUARD Gold ensure that Rockfon stone wool products, regardless of edge type or size (excluding Rockfon Mono® Acoustic), meet strict chemical emission limits and contribute to healthier indoor environments by minimizing VOCs and other harmful pollutants.

Unlike some materials that may degrade or break down over time, stone wool also maintains its shape and does not release VOCs as it ages. This helps ensure consistent indoor air quality throughout the life span of the building.

Stone Wool ASTM Testing Standards for Occupant Health

ASTM International, a globally recognized standards organization, establishes rigorous testing requirements to ensure construction materials meet high-quality benchmarks for occupant health and safety.

For commercial architects and designers, ASTM standards provide a reliable framework to evaluate materials such as stone wool ceiling products. Stone wool has demonstrated strong performance in various ASTM and UL testing standards, reinforcing the material’s properties that enhance indoor environments.

  • ASTM C423: This standard evaluates the sound absorption characteristics of materials such as stone wool. This is vital in settings such as hospitals, offices and schools where acoustic comfort is paramount. NRC ratings, measured according to ASTM C423, indicate sound absorption effectiveness. Stone wool consistently achieves high NRC ratings, reducing noise levels and enhancing concentration and productivity.
  • UL 2818: Stone wool products often meet the stringent emission criteria of UL 2818 and require no additives to withstand mold growth. This corresponds with low VOC emissions and contributes to healthier indoor air quality. The certification assures architects and designers that stone wool materials contribute to a cleaner and safer indoor environment by minimizing the presence of harmful chemicals.
  • ASTM D3273: Stone wool’s moisture-resistant properties are tested under ASTM D3273, evaluating its resistance to mold growth. This is pivotal in preventing mold-related health issues and maintaining a hygienic indoor environment, particularly in humid or moisture-prone areas.
  • ASTM C1338: Stone wool also demonstrates resistance to fungi growth, assessed by ASTM C1338. This standard underscores the material’s durability and long-term performance, guaranteeing it remains a reliable choice for architects and designers seeking sustainable and resilient building solutions.

Specialized Rockfon Products for Healthcare, Education and Beyond

Rockfon’s comprehensive lineup of specialized products is tailored to healthcare, education and more and is designed to meet the goals and objectives of a diverse range of commercial projects. Plus, each offering is crafted to support occupant health:

Tailored Ceiling Solutions for Healthcare, Office and Educational Facilities

Healthcare

Healthcare providers need environments that safeguard patients and support healing. Rockfon stone wool ceiling tiles and suspension grid systems provide tailored acoustic solutions that enhance the visual appeal of medical spaces while meeting stringent infection control needs. Integrating these products allows architects and designers to confidently prioritize occupant health, optimizing medical facilities for functionality and well-being.

Take, for example, the team at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, who opened its Friese Family Tower in Tarzana, California, in 2023: Designed by Perkins&Will, the Friese Family Tower features approximately 100,000 square feet of Rockfon acoustic stone wool ceiling panels in the lobby, patient rooms, offices and service spaces as well as the procedure, triage and exam rooms.

“Air quality and acoustics are very important to patient rooms,” said Perkins&Will’s Jean-Claude Lesaca, senior project architect. “The California Building Code has a low threshold for acoustics. We worked with an acoustical consultant, Newson Brown Acoustics, to ensure the patient rooms met or exceeded the minimum standard.

“We always go for ceiling panels with a high NRC, around a 0.90 or 0.95 NRC, and full-height walls in patient areas.”

While supporting healing, comfort and well-being of patients, staff and visitors in a calm, welcoming healthcare facility, the acoustic stone wool panels also contribute to the project’s sustainable design goals, cleanliness needs and seismic requirements.

Offices

Recent studies show that office acoustics significantly impact performance, employee retention and health. For Anthem Technology Center’s office tower in Midtown, Atlanta, Rockfon Sonar stone wool ceiling panels were specified to ensure the best sound experience and a productive workspace for its associates. Combining stone wool panels with metal suspension grids and perimeter trim enhanced the wellness attributes required for a high-tech, collaborative setting.

Education

Quiet and controlled environments are essential for fostering concentration and focus in educational settings. Stone wool ceilings play a key role because they possess excellent sound absorption properties. This made them an excellent choice for the renovation of the New York Public Library’s 180,000-square-foot, eight-story Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.

The state-of-the-art central circulating library boasts elegant white Rockfon Alaska acoustic stone wool ceiling tiles, providing a cohesive, timeless appearance and acoustic comfort throughout the library’s distinctive programmatic areas. The high-performance acoustic ceiling tiles help optimize interior comfort for the building’s different spaces and functionality needs. For example, in reading and study rooms, the ceiling panels absorb sound for quiet concentration.

Achieving Optimal Indoor Environments With Rockfon

Stone wool is a smart choice for architects and designers seeking to enhance indoor environments. To summarize, stone wool ceiling tiles and panels have immediate and lasting benefits because they:

  • Have superior acoustic properties to absorb and dissipate sound
  • Enhance indoor air quality and revitalize spaces
  • Offer robust fire safety features that ensure peace of mind

Considering Rockfon for your occupant health, durability, sustainability or visual appeal goals?

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We provide customers with a complete acoustic ceiling system offering, combining sound absorbing ceiling tiles and specialty metal panels with suspension grid systems and accessories.

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