Project Overview
Kew High School’s double-court gymnasium had served students and the local basketball community for years, but like much of the broader school campus, it was ready for a refresh. After seeing the clean lines and strong acoustic performance of Durra Panel at Sandringham College, the school Principal had a clear direction: a modern, high-performing wall lining that would bring the gymnasium up to the standard of upgrades already delivered elsewhere on campus.
The brief centred on modernising the space whilst increasing the overall acoustic and thermal performance. Hard, reflective wall surfaces were amplifying the sounds inherent to a busy gymnasium, diluting the experience for both students during school hours and the local domestic basketball competition that uses the courts after hours. The S50 Durra Panel acoustic pattern was selected specifically to address this, reducing sound reflectivity on the walls.
With 900m² of wall area to cover and a strict school holiday installation window, speed and coordination were equally critical. The combination of pre-finished Durra Panels and powder coated aluminium sections meant the installation could move quickly without relying on multiple trades or wet finishing processes.
The project also lays the groundwork for improved thermal comfort. The gymnasium’s large north-facing wall makes the space uncomfortably warm during summer months, and the Durra Panel system is expected to provide a meaningful thermal barrier as the building moves into the warmer months.
Project Details:
The Challenge / Brief
The gymnasium at Kew High School presented a combination of challenges common to active school sports facilities. The hard wall surfaces created a loud, reverberant environment, one that worked against both the students using the space during the day and the community basketball competition running in the evenings. The north-facing wall added another dimension, making the gymnasium uncomfortably warm through summer. And throughout all of it, the walls needed to be able to take a hit from years of ball sports and athletes making contact with the boundary walls. No formal acoustic targets were set, but a noticeable improvement was the clear objective.
The timeline compressed everything further. The full installation had to land within the school holiday period, with floor protection in place throughout to safeguard the existing timber basketball courts from scissor lifts and ladders. Works also needed to be coordinated around the school’s preferred contractors for electrical and fire equipment, requiring careful sequencing from the outset.
Our Approach
The S50 Durra Panel acoustic pattern was specified for all four walls, a finish chosen specifically for its ability to absorb the sharp, reflective sounds that define a busy gymnasium: whistles, footwear, crowd noise. Panels were delivered to site, cut to size, and fixed back to pine timber battens installed by the Green Spec Events team, covering the full 900m² surrounding both basketball courts. The S50 finish and hardboard substrate are well suited to the high impact demands of a gymnasium environment.
The powder coated Durra Aluminium sections handled the edges and transitions, providing a clean finish that would have required significantly more time and additional trades through conventional methods. Together, the pre-finished panels and aluminium trims kept the installation moving efficiently, no wet trades, no multi-step finishing, no delays. The thermal benefit on the north-facing wall is an added outcome the client anticipates will become more apparent as summer arrives.
Outcome & Results
The acoustic improvement is noticeable as soon as you walk into the space, the hard, reverberant environment that made the gymnasium uncomfortably loud has been brought under control, creating a space that works better for everyone who uses it. The modular system delivered the installation speed the brief demanded, with the full 900m² completed within the school holiday window and minimal trades required on site. The S50 finish, plywood and hardboard substrate are well matched to the long-term demands of the space, requiring minimal maintenance while standing up to the daily impact of active sport.
The Kew High School gymnasium now sits alongside the rest of the school’s upgraded facilities, a modern, high-performing space that serves the whole community.
Need a fast, high-performing acoustic wall solution for your next school or sporting facility? Talk to the Durra Panel team today.
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