New Acoustical Options in Specialty and Seamless Ceiling Systems
OFFICE CASE STUDY: SPECIALTY ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS
Project: Heartland Acoustics & Interiors
Location: Austin
Ceiling: Specialty Acoustical Ceiling Tile
The Project: Heartland Acoustics & Interiors decided to open an office in Austin that would be designed to not only meet its own needs as a company but also be a living example of its work in acoustical performance.
The Challenge: Company management decided it wanted its new facility to house a variety of spaces typically found in commercial environments and showcase products that met the acoustical challenges of each space. As Heartland President Jason Gordon explains, “Our intent was to create spaces ranging from high ceilings to low and open plans to private offices and to install an acoustical solution in each space. We believe there’s a great deal of value in it for clients because they can see a real installation instead of just a photo and a sample.”
Solution: To accomplish the firm’s goals, it included ceilings that were made from specialty acoustical tile systems, with different spaces receiving different tile designs appropriate to their individual design and performance needs. The selected products provide the opportunity to mix and match different sizes, shapes, colors, and materials in the creation of a signature ceiling.
First, in the busy operations office area, three ceiling product types including a mineral fiber panel, a fiberglass tile, and aluminum tiles were used. These ceilings use three shapes—parallelograms, trapezoids, and triangles—in a layout selected from dozens of predesigned patterns available from the selected manufacturer. Further, since blue and grey are the firm’s corporate colors, all of the mineral fiber panels are factory painted blue, the fiberglass ones are grey, and the aluminum ones are white for a striking tricolor design scheme.
By contrast, the ceiling in the firm’s conference room has a totally different visual impact from the operations office area. “Our goal here was to show what’s possible using specialty panels rather than traditional 2-by-2 and 2-by-4 sizes,” Gordon states. “As a result, we installed specialty acoustical panels that were much more linear.” As was the case in the operations office, the ceiling design was also selected from a portfolio of preconfigured patterns but this time based on squares and rectangles. Gordon notes that the ceiling panels selected were installed in the conference room because of the nature of the space and the need for high acoustical performance (NRC 0.95 and CAC 35). In addition, all the panels are white to attain a high level of light reflectance.
The Results: Gordon reports that the office’s unique ceiling patterns were a success in part because an online resource provided all required details, from panels and on-center spacing to suspension systems, trim, and accessories. Triangular-shaped light fixtures and triangular-shaped air diffusers are also successfully used as design elements of the ceiling. Both are the result of collaboration between the respective manufacturers to develop accessories that are prequalified for fit and finish and integrate together.
Metal Acoustical Ceilings
Using metal for ceilings has been a successful design solution when a particular aesthetic is sought out or extreme durability is required. Specifically, the flexibility of the material means that it can be fashioned into metal ceiling tiles in curves, clouds, panels, and planks in standard, custom, or even one-of-a-kind looks. They are available in some new 3-D shapes and torsion spring shapes as well. As such, they can create a strong visual impact or simply add a very sleek look to well-designed interior.
In addition to their good looks, metal ceilings are extremely durable and typically unaffected by many of the potential harmful effects that can be part of commercial building operations. They can be specified in a natural or painted finish, which can be selected as much for performance as appearance. Hence they are used in areas where high durability or high degrees of cleanliness are needed in addition to locations that have specific design needs.
Along with this durability and design flexibility, metal ceilings can also deliver strong acoustic performance. This is commonly achieved through a range of choices in perforation patterns in the metal. Since metal ceilings will be naturally sound reflective, the perforations allow some fine tuning in the amount of sound reflection compared to sound absorption. To aid in the absorption, acoustic fiber, mesh, or fleece can be applied on the back side of the metal tile to soak up sound and reduce echoes as needed. The size and amount of perforations coupled with the type and amount of acoustic backing determine the NRC rating and manufacturers can provide a full range of details and choices.
Metal ceilings meet other design criteria too. They are durable and very cleanable as already noted, but they can also provide high light reflectance that can help in daylighting of interior spaces. They provide great fire resistance and do not provide any organic base for mold and mildew to grow. All of these attributes help with their overall sustainability capabilities and allow them to contribute to green building rating programs. Most metal products are made from substantial amounts of recycled material as well, meaning that their embodied energy can actually be very low compared to other materials.
OFFICE CASE STUDY: METAL ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS
Project: NOAA National Logistics and Reconditioning Center
Location: Grandview, Missouri
Architect: Burns & McDonnell
Ceiling: Metal ceiling panels with metal trim
The Challenge: The NOAA National Logistics and Reconditioning Center is responsible for the repair of all the radar systems and other forecasting equipment used by the National Weather Service’s stations around the world. Originally located in a facility built in the 1930s, the center is now housed in a newly constructed 238,000-square-foot building. At the new facility, the main conference room is used to host everything from briefings and training sessions to tour groups and national meetings. As a result, the design team felt it was important to create a space that would not only embody the center’s mission but also provide the staff with a space of which they could be proud.
The Solution: “We wanted to create a space that would leave a lasting impression of the facility,” says Senior Interior Designer Rhonda Hulkill, “and the best opportunity for making an impression is the ceiling.” Working in collaboration with a ceiling manufacturer, the design team achieved its goal by creating a ceiling featuring custom 2-by-4-foot metal ceiling panels with metal trim installed diagonally across the room in a herringbone type of pattern. The result is a visual effect reminiscent of lightening bolts coming down from the sky. A 6-inch gap separates each of the lightning bolts, while soft blue fluorescent lighting behind the ceiling panels symbolizes the sky and adds even more visual interest to the ceiling.
All of the metal panels are perforated and backed with an acoustical fleece to provide sound absorption in the room. “Considering the multiple uses of the space, acoustical performance was a key consideration,” Hulkill states. The metal ceiling panels were chosen because of their durability and reflectivity. “We wanted a certain amount of reflectance to extend the blue light into the room and give the space more life. This effect would not have been possible with standard acoustical ceiling tile,” explains Associate Architect Vicky Borchers. “Because the panels are floating, we also wanted sharp, crisp edges since they are visible.”
The Results: As far as making an impression, Borchers says the conference room has become the facility’s signature space. “It is definitely the space everybody remembers and also the first place the staff takes everyone.”
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