New solutions are available that make building high-performance, aesthetically pleasing, integrated ceilings faster and easier than ever before. Traditional ceiling construction methods are less and less compatible with current design trends, expedited construction schedules, and sustainability practices. You are challenged with designing spaces that that meet your clients’ design intent and IBC and ASTM requirements, while contractors are pushed to meet accelerated construction schedules. By collaborating early with your ceiling partner, you can ensure best practices are followed for your project to meet design intent.

Integrated Ceiling Solutions Bell Helicopter, Fort Worth, Texas

The Design Need: The client desired a clean, consistent visual across the building, including transitions from the perimeter windows to the interior suspended acoustical ceilings. Much of the design intent was not achievable using conventional framing techniques. Intensive coordination of services above the suspended ceiling, including HVAC, mechanicals, fire suppression, and lighting, dictated a structurally sound system that trades could work in and around easily.

The Solution: Pre-engineered ceiling systems were utilized to guarantee the contractor could build within the design vision and intent and keep the project ahead of schedule and on budget, while meeting LEED Silver certification requirements.

Image courtesy of Armstrong Commercial Ceiling Solutions

Founders Federal Credit Union Lancaster, South Carolina Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Charlotte, North Carolina Extruded aluminum perimeter shade pocket with fine textured ceiling panels

Pre-Engineered Ceiling Construction

Pre-engineered ceiling components were used in the Bell Helicopter headquarters construction to reduce coordination between trades, labor costs, and to speed the construction schedule. The ceiling components met the same codes and standards as traditionally built, on-site systems and reflected the identical design intent and specifications of the most sophisticated site-built systems using the same architect-specified materials. Thirty to 50 percent faster to build and install compared to traditionally constructed ceilings, they generate less waste, provide consistent quality throughout the building, and meet tighter construction schedules.

Pre-engineered components and related details can be included in specifications to ensure consistent installed visuals throughout a project. Pre-engineered ceiling systems are often already tested and approved for use in Seismic DEF building areas, backed by the required certifications available from the manufacturer. If you are specifying for a LEED project, components can contribute to credits.

In addition to traditional ceiling systems, examples of pre-engineered ceiling system solutions include: drywall suspension systems for ceilings and soffits, light coves, shade pockets, transitions, and acoustical clouds and canopies.

Pre-engineered Trims and Transitions NOAA National Water Center, Tucaloosa, Alabama

The Design Need: The architect for the NOAA National Water Center wanted to feature a “river” that twists and turns its way through the center of the facility’s ceiling. It was formed by creating a separation between the suspended drywall ceiling and its acoustical ceiling. Light coves around the perimeter of both ceilings function as the “riverbanks”. Original plans called for the coves to be built of drywall. However, acoustical contractor Keith Yeager believed this would be extremely time consuming and difficult. “Studs and drywall would take forever,” he says, “because of the need to frame it, hang it, tape it, and sand it. Considering the extremely curved nature of the coves, it also would have been almost impossible not to have cracks or flat spots in the drywall, especially since the radius changed every few feet.”

The Solution: To solve the problem, Yeager designed coves using extruded aluminum perimeter trim, all of which had to be custom made because of the complexity of the curves. Three different sized coves—18 inch, 12 inch, and 6 inch—were required. All consisted of multiple components. The most complex was the 18-inch cove, which required five elements. In total, 400 feet of 18-inch coves were installed, 480 feet of 12-inch coves, and 250 feet of 6-inch coves. To make the job easier and faster, each section of cove was given a letter and each of its components, a number. The ceiling manufacturer then packaged each section and its pieces in a separate crate.“When you have to attach so many custom-made components to each other, it helped to have all the pieces in the same package,” Yeager explains. Once installation began, job superintendent Tim Thomas notes construction of the coves using the pre-engineered trims and transitions was accomplished in half the time as drywall. “We probably saved two months in the construction schedule” he says. “And, there are no cracks or flat spots. Considering the curves and lengths of the spans, this would not have been possible with traditional drywall.”

Photos courtesy of Armstrong Commercial Ceiling Solutions

NOAA Offices, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Gould Evans Architects, New Orleans, Louisiana Drywall grid and extruded aluminum perimeter trim with fine textured ceiling panels