Why is Rockfon® MediCare® the best acoustic ceiling range?

Aha! From great materials comes the best solutions

I like to keep things simple, and Rockfon® MediCare® is the best fit for any hospital or health care facility. Now for those of you who might want a little more information, allow me to elaborate. To do that, I will have to start at the beginning, because no matter which Rockfon ceiling product you choose; it all starts with stone wool.

The natural properties of stone wool used in our ceiling tiles go hand in hand with health and wellbeing. Stone wool has an excellent fire resistance that can withstand high temperature. To be exact, stone wool can withstand temperatures up to 1000°C and only reaches its melting point at about 1260°C. This entitles our products to receive the highest reaction to fire class certificate, and even more importantly, it guarantees the safety of your buildings and the people inside them.

If you want to know more about the fire properties of stone wool, please contact our Technical Department. 

How to create better and healthier environments for patients and health care workers

An even more directly related health benefit of our stone wool ceiling tiles is the acoustic properties naturally imbedded in our raw material. High sound absorption and better acoustics are fast becoming the little black dress of any new building project and within health care, good acoustics is even more important than anywhere else.

High sound absorption and as a result clear speech intelligibility ensures that a patient clearly understands the diagnosis spoken out loud by his or her doctor. It helps absorb excessive sound and keep the noise level low and comfortable as it should be within a healing environment. And it’s not just a benefit for the patients and their relatives. It also creates a pleasant work environment for the health care workers carrying some of the most important jobs in any country

Why can’t I choose any Rockfon product for my healthcare projects?

This is an excellent question. The answer is strictly linked to the purpose of the room at the hospital. For some hospital areas, specific healthcare regulations might be less relevant, and other non-health properties are preferred and prioritized.

Let me give you two examples:

In a rest area or patient recovery areas, a colourful ceiling might be a  higher priority than an airtight ceiling or a ceiling with cleanroom
certification. Here the purpose is to create a comfortable, welcoming and healing atmosphere for the recovery. For such areas, I might recommend our Rockfon® Color-all®.

Our Rockfon® Color-all® is an acoustic ceiling tile available in 34 modern colours that benefit from 100 % humidity resistance, and they provide no sustenance for microorganism, creating a healthier environment with good sound. This should of course always be assessed on a case by case basis as some rest areas have more stringent requirements than others, and above all, safety should be the highest concern when choosing products for the healthcare sector.

Another example could be within a non-critical patient room. Studies have shown that patients exposed to more natural light experience a positive impact on their recovery. We believe that acoustic ceilings should provide better light reflection so the natural light will reflect and create a vibrant and bright room.

Any Rockfon ceiling, like the Rockfon Blanka®, with a light reflection of 87% or higher, increases the daylight factory by 11%, bringing in more light into the room. For this reason, Rockfon Blanka® is a great addition to patient recovery rooms, but to be sure, always check with your local building regulations to create better and healthier recover surroundings.

What Rockfon® MediCare® product is the best fit for you?

Let’s have a look at our Rockfon® MediCare® range in more detail.

Rockfon® Medical^TM Standard® is well-suited for areas with strict hygiene and cleaning requirements such as hospital ceilings. It’s classified to Bacteriological Class B5 and B10.

Rockfon® Medical^TM Plus is perfect for demanding healthcare applications requiring cleaning with a damp cloth using standard detergents and specialist dry steam and high-pressure cleaning.
It is compliant with HTM 60 and a cleanroom classification of 3.

Rockfon® Medical^TM Air is ideal for hospital ceilings where differential pressure is required as it has an airtight backing membrane and sealed edges to meet the requirements for high-risk areas like operating rooms, recovery areas, and intensive care, where the spread of infections need to be limited.

Rockfon® Medicare® Block is specifically designed for use in a high-risk, pressurized healthcare environment where high cleanability is required.
This acoustic ceiling doesn’t contribute to the spread of bacteria as it has a Clean Room Classification ISO Class 2 and chemical resistance classification “Excellent”. It makes it suitable for emergency rooms, operating theatre, and treatment room.

Let’s talk about why Rockfon^® MediCare^® is the best

Choosing healthcare building materials can be complex. What type of performances is important? Why and when is it important?

Let me try to simplify some rather complex requirements.
The whole Rockfon^® MediCare^® portfolio is capable of living up any requirement, and I’ve split them into four categories; cleanroom, resistance to microorganisms, cleanability & air pressure control.

The Rockfon^® MediCare^® portfolio strictly complies with four categories:

1. Cleanroom
A cleanroom is a controlled environment that has a low level of pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles, and chemical vapours. The particles emitted by building materials increase the risk of infection spread in healthcare buildings. To avoid the risk of infections spreading, we recommend Rockfon^® MediCare^® products as they have a low particle emission. They meet most requirements for air cleanliness.

2. Resistance to micro-organisms
In a building, excessive humidity and moisture can promote the growth of micro-organisms such as mould and bacteria that can cause allergic reactions, respiratory illnesses, and skin problems. The inorganic nature and water-repellence of our Rockfon stone wool core provide no sustenance to harmful micro-organisms. With Rockfon^® MediCare^®, you are sure to have strong resistance towards micro-organisms.

3. Cleanability
Healthcare is equal to clean areas. Therefore, the materials in healthcare facilities should provide a high degree of cleanability. In healthcare sectors, there are different requirements for cleaning that are linked to the purpose of the room. Some areas need to be cleaned with a damp cloth while others need to withstand regular steam cleaning or chemical cleaning to ensure 100% disinfection. We are happy to say that our portfolio of Rockfon^® MediCare^® product live up to the most stringent cleaning requirements, whether it is a simple everyday clean or a more stringent one that needs to withstand diluted ammonia, chlorine, or quaternary ammonium.

4. Air pressure control
Air pressure control is a system built to control the entry and exit of air and prevent the inflow and outflow of contaminants. Air pressure control is necessary for some of the most important areas in a hospital such as the ICU and should not be dealt with lightly.

In the Rockfon MediCare portfolio two products; Rockfon^® MediCare^®Air & Rockfon^® MediCare^®Block have been developed especially for air control rooms.

Wow, let’s make safer, better, and healthier healthcare buildings

No matter what is important for your project – we can help. Whether you are intrigued by the awesome features provided by our tiles being stone wool or because you have a specific cleanroom certification need – we can help.

For a more detailed overview of which products lives up to which requirement I refer you to the datasheets found on each product page on our website: www.rockfon.co.uk


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