In parallel with this trend toward smaller reveals and smoother surfaces, other architectural styles demanded articulations to the grid ceiling surfaces. Suspended ceiling systems were developed with stamped or sculpted tiles that produced optical patterns or effects that echoed traditional worked plaster or metal panels or suggested coffered, cove or beam-style ceilings. Many architects maintained traditional or alternative ceiling materials, included plasters, gypsum board, wood, and pressed or perforated metal panels. Some ceiling systems employed a stretched fabric, such as polyester or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), over a light metal or plastic frame.

While traditional ceiling techniques have included moldings, rosettes, wood panels or trims, and colored paints, the modern suspended ceiling tended toward white and lightly textured surfaces. In most cases, color and pattern applied to the ceiling systems—whether in manufacture or on the jobsite—has been relatively rare.

Trade-Offs in Design and Performance

In spite of the limitations, in much of the market the roll-formed suspension systems have become a habitual spec—and the bane of many architects interested in more creative ceiling treatments. One reason has been that typical cellulose ceiling tiles could not be made much larger than 2 feet or 3 feet in length; they would sag over time, or fall out of the grid. Another was the limitation placed on interior aesthetics by the commercial products.

In places where acoustics are important, such as this transit station, painting the ceiling surface after manufacturing can change its noise reduction coefficient (NRC). Image courtesy of Hunter Douglas Contract

One reaction was the antithesis of the suspended system: Architects started to favor the open ceiling, with structural elements and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems exposed for visual effect. This style emerged and found adherents in 1970s and 1980s commercial construction, led by “functionalist” architects like Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, with their seminal Centre Pompidou in Paris (1971) and the Lloyd's of London office building. “This framework must allow people to perform freely inside and out, to change and adapt in answer to technical or client needs,” said the architects.

Yet open ceilings tend to suffer from poor acoustical performance. On top of that, the convenience and cost-benefit equation provided by suspended grids has proved too good to leave behind. For these reasons, architects have looked for alternatives to cellulose, such as fiberglass, metal, cellular plastic mats, and stretched fabric, among others. Advances in ceiling systems over the last few years have opened up new possibilities for larger ceiling panels and the application of new design ideas, says Kuperus. “On the one hand, manufacturers have made sizes of demountable tiles much larger, so you can still service the plenum volume above but through larger smooth areas with fewer joints and reveals,” he explains. “Another advent was the introduction of colors and patterning in the systems.”