Unilever’s Indonesian head office replaces four separate Jakarta offices, bringing Unilever staff from various departments including scientists, engineers, cooks and technicians together under one roof. The 60,000m² building has been carefully designed to facilitate collaboration, engagement and agility, with the top four floors dedicated to office spaces with breakout areas while the ground floor provides public and shared facilities including a mosque, staff dining area, day care centre and multi-purpose hall.

With so much diverse activity happening within the one building, achieving acoustic control between walls and floors was critical. An unseen yet crucial component of this control was provided by Wavin SiTech+ low-noise acoustic plumbing.

Available in New Zealand through Leap Ltd, SiTech+ is a low noise water drainage system comprising mineral reinforced polypropylene (PP) pipes. The lightweight composition of the SiTech+ system rivals PVC piping while providing excellent acoustic performance usually only achieved with much heavier cast iron piping or additional acoustic pipe lagging.

For the Unilever head office, SiTech+ was installed to reduce the noise of wastewater travelling between different levels of the building. With the lightweight system available in pipe and fittings from 32mm to 160mm with complementary sound insulating brackets, it was ideal for providing unique solutions to meet the specific plumbing requirements of different areas of the building.

The architects collaborated closely with both the SiTech+ installer and supplier, taking a holistic approach to the specification by considering the acoustic drainage as part of a complete system. This resulted in optimal sound insulation throughout the building, and ultimately a comfortable working environment for Unilever’s employees.

NZ suppliers of SiTech+, Leap Ltd, believe that collaboration is key in achieving the best acoustic result possible. “If you get the design or installation wrong, it can negatively affect the acoustic nature of the system,” says Jay Wester, Managing Director, Leap. “We have architectural and hydraulic consultants who work closely with architects and designers so we can provide the necessary assistance and achieve the right result.”