ELK RIVER AREA, MINNESOTA
Open flex spaces give elementary students room to collaborate, but they also give noise room to travel. When Westwood Elementary School in Zimmerman, Minnesota, part of Elk River Area Schools, renovated its upper-level flex spaces in 2026, the goal was to bring those spaces up to the standard set by the CSI Creative system installed the year before. The work had to fit within a single summer break. The result is 104 Soundcore Single Baffles in warm English Walnut that quiet busy spaces, mark key gathering points, and create a calmer, more welcoming school where young students can hear clearly, find their way, and stay focused.
After the 2025 installation, the district came back for more. Wold’s drawings for the 2026 renovation named CSI Creative directly, calling for linear acoustic baffles in Soundcore Wood Textures, SND714 English Walnut: the same system already in the building. The request was clear: carry the look and acoustic performance students and staff already knew into the newly renovated upper-level flex spaces.
The design treats the ceiling as a sculptural canopy rather than a flat finish. Eight baffle profiles, ranging from 55″ to 108″ long, step and angle across each run, so their lower edges form a faceted, topographic ridgeline overhead. Linear light slots cut through the field, catching the walnut grain and drawing the eye through the space. Against the surrounding grid ceiling, the dark, warm wood reads immediately as a different kind of place, meant for gathering and learning rather than passing through. Paired with nature-inspired glass graphics and saturated wall color, the walnut finish brings a biophilic calm to spaces built for active young learners.
Step into the upper level and the change is immediate. The hard echo of the hallway falls away under the baffles. Voices soften, footsteps quiet, and the bright tile grid gives way to warm wood and pools of light. That shift is the wayfinding. Students don’t need a sign to know they’ve arrived in the north or south flex space, because they can hear it and see it. The canopies sit where corridors open into the flex areas and at the stair, so they work as landmarks, visible from down the hall and easy for even the youngest students to remember. The faceted ridgeline has direction too, leading the eye toward entries and the stair. Because the baffles absorb sound where students gather, the noise of transitions stays in the commons instead of spilling into nearby learning spaces, helping students hear their teachers and hold their attention.
The biggest challenge was time. Schools can’t install around students, so everything had to land within the summer break. The order wasn’t confirmed until late April, and with shop drawings and a 10-week production lead time, delivery fell in mid-July, leaving a short window to install before the school year began. There was no room for revisions late in the process.
The new spaces also had to match the 2025 installation exactly, from the faceted geometry built from eight custom baffle profiles to the English Walnut finish. During submittals, the contractor found that finish wasn’t listed on the standard cut sheet, which put that match at risk. CSI Creative confirmed the finish and supplied documentation right away, so submittals were approved without delay and the project stayed on schedule.
The system was supplied as 104 Soundcore baffles on 25 aluminum H-Rail channels. Each channel was suspended on three 10′ aircraft cables with adjustable grippers, plus connection and end-cap bracket kits for continuous runs. Production started once shop drawings were approved, followed by a 10-week lead time.
At Westwood Elementary, the ceiling works as hard as anything else in the building. Open flex spaces that could have amplified the noise of a busy school now do the opposite. The baffles absorb sound where students gather, keep transitions from spilling into nearby learning spaces, and give students a warm, recognizable landmark to orient by. Delivered on a tight summer schedule and matched seamlessly to the 2025 installation, the system extends a consistent look and acoustic standard throughout the school. Westwood shows that thoughtful acoustic design isn't just about aesthetics. It shapes how students hear, move, and focus every day.
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