Renovation and reorientation with state-of-the-art acoustics

Communication and understanding are the essential elements of a democratic culture. Therefore, including an upgrade of the acoustic system into the renovation of the Austrian Parliament situated on the Vienna ring road was a logical thing to do. Vogl Deckensysteme GmbH from Emskirchen delivered the products required for acoustics optimisation – and that in two different ways. The extraordinary renown of the company is demonstrated by the fact that both the STRABAG Group responsible for interior design and the company Lindner which was in charge of heating and cooling ceilings made use of the tried-and-tested expertise and product solutions by Vogl independently of each other.

The renovation concept by the Jabornegg & Pálffy architectural office continues the design tradition of the magnificent neoclassical building erected in the late 19th century. In consultation with the project owner, the renovation planning included partial redesign of the interior. The idea behind it was to extend the functionality of the areas accessible to public as well as those intended for direct parliamentary work. The 'extra space' required for this should have been primarily won by removing a large part of structural alterations made over the past decades.

Acoustic plaster system VoglToptec as general solution

Complex task – straightforward solution: The acoustic plaster system VoglToptec was the best solution to ensure highly efficient implementation of the interior-design measures aimed to achieve a convincing acoustic performance. The Vogl system was used not only as a ceiling solution for the newly designed visitors' foyer and the extended restaurant area on the top floor, but also for the anterooms of plenary halls.

The excellent acoustic performance of the system could be demonstrated already during the installation of the ceiling elements in the Parliament spaces in early 2022. In combination with sound-absorbing perforated panels covered with acoustic plaster, VoglToptec allows sound absorption coefficients of up to αw = 0.95. Another factor as important as the desired result in terms of acoustics was the quick and methodical work implementation. Especially in projects of this scale, the combination of efficiency and high-quality workmanship of the Vogl system proved to be the decisive argument for many project owners. The system approach well-thought-out down to the smallest detail allows a high degree of continuity of the processing sequence; and the edge-to-edge installation technique resulting from this makes the process even quicker. The elimination of panel jointing leads to an additional increase in perforated area, thus further enhancing the actual acoustic efficiency.

Type of object: Parliament building
Vogl products: VoglToptec, Vogl moulded components
Photographer: Michael Hetzmannseder

Architect: Jabornegg & Pálffy office
Specialist contractors: STRABAG, Lindner

Completion: January 2023