The Challenge:
Design a radial ceiling that not only provides pleasing aesthetics but also outstanding acoustical performance and easy access to the plenum.
The Calgary office of the Health Services Association of Alberta recently moved to new quarters. One of the highlights of the space is a large boardroom with a rounded, window-filled interior wall. A curved corridor separates it from the office’s staff area.
The corridor’s curved ceiling presented architect Avery Temofychuk with a design dilemma. “We didn’t want to use drywall because it didn’t allow access to the plenum. Drywall didn’t provide a great deal of acoustical control either, especially in terms of sound absorption.
The Solution:
Temofychuk then decided to use a new capability from Armstrong that provides designers with the opportunity to use radial ceilings in either wood, metal or fiberglass to reflect the architectural design of a space.
Chosen for use were OPTIMA fiberglass ceiling panels. Temofychuk used two different trapezoidal-shaped panels to span the 6-foot-wide corridor and a third panel in areas where the radial ceiling extends into other spaces.
Temofychuk admits that when he first decided to use a suspended radial ceiling, he was apprehensive. “This was the first time we were going to try this, so it was very different for us.”
To assist in the design, Temofychuk was put in contact with the Armstrong Architectural Specialties Group. “We sent our CAD drawings to them, and they essentially built the ceiling from our drawings,” he states. “It turned out to be a very valuable service. We would have been very hesitant to try it without them.”
Project: Health Services Association of Alberta
Location: Calgary, AB