It’s pretty tough these days to find a commercial ceiling tile that isn’t highly functional, easy to install and aesthetically pleasing. With so many choices it can often come down to context and finding a product that meets the specific needs of a building. The Trowel looked at several projects across North America to discover what it was about the products used that made each one a sound success in a particular application.

WMMR 93.3 FM, Philadelphia

WMMR 93.3 FM, a rock radio station in Philadelphia, recently acquired an additional 1800 sq. ft. of space to expand its on-air studio and provide a live-performance area for bands passing through town. The station occupies about 40,000 sq. ft. of space on the third and fourth floors of a six-story office building, which it shares with its Philadelphia sister stations, all under parent company Greater Media, Inc. Acoustics were a key factor in choosing ceiling panels for the new space, in order to ensure high sound quality and avoid disrupting the other stations’ broadcasts.

Greater Media requested an acoustic design style developed by acoustical consultants Miller, Beam & Paganelli, called “bright acoustics,” which allows more reverberation in high frequencies and less reverberation in lower frequencies. An integral part of this design strategy involves the use of a sandwiched ceiling panel, with an outer layer of fiberglass for sound absorption, and an inner layer of mineral fiber for sound containment. 

To meet these needs, the design team chose Adagio™ ceiling panels  by CertainTeed, a fiberglass/mineral fiber composite product released this year as part of the company’s Designer series. Adagio’s mineral fiber backboard provides a 40 CAC (ceiling attenuation class) and the fiberglass layer provides a .95 noise reduction coefficient (NRC).

Lisa Santerian, marketing director of CertainTeed’s Ceilings Group, says the hybrid ceiling panel provides the same comfort and privacy achieved when full-height wall partition structures are used between office spaces, but offers greater flexibility when plenum access is required, not to mention no extra construction costs. It also saves installers the trouble of field-fabricating a “sandwich panel” by stacking separate fiberglass and mineral fiber ceiling panels and installing them simultaneously.

“The Adagio tile allows for superior sound absorption and containment in one ceiling tile,” says Santerian. “Traditionally, a full-height partition has been the only effective way to achieve comfort and privacy in a space.  With Adagio, however, you can now avoid added construction costs of a full-height wall partition, and you also gain maintenance flexibility when dealing with the HVAC or wiring system in the plenum.” 

Philadelphia general contracting firm Lakash Constructors, Inc., installed 1,700 sq. ft. of 2x2 ft. panels in the on-air studio, using a typical suspended grid system. Although a different product was originally specified for the project, CertainTeed’s sales rep and an acoustic consultant hired by the station recognized the performance benefit and flexibility of Adagio. Now, a full-electric band can perform live on the station’s energetic morning program, without other tenants in the building being affected by the noise. Santerian says the new Adagio ceiling panels have received excellent reviews from WMMR. 

 “It’s amazing to think while you’re driving to work listening to the radio, that the station is airing from an office building,” she says. “Adagio is an excellent choice for this application, as well as for other spaces that demand privacy and comfort, such as an executive suite, a board room or a counsellor’s or doctor’s office.”

St. Michael’s Country Day School, Rhode Island

The 2,400 sq. ft., lower level multi-purpose cafeteria at St. Michael’s Country Day School had acoustic issues because of an exposed concrete ceiling deck, drywall walls, vinyl on the concrete floor and wood and glass doors. These design issues meant the space experienced high reverberation time and high levels of background noise. Besides the acoustic issues, the low ceiling height – less than nine feet – meant dropping in a standard 2x2 ceiling would have brought it down to less than eight feet.

Armstrong’s Optima Capz ceiling panels were designed in response to contractors’ requests for a retrofit product that could be used in exposed structure spaces.  “Exposed structure design is growing,” says Nick Taraborelli, marketing manager, commercial building products for Armstrong. “If you think about a space designed with exposed structure, there’s no ceiling tile, so when the space becomes occupied later there are acoustic issues.”

At St. Michael’s, 35 large 4’ x 4’ Optima Capz panels were installed using a standard grid system with Armstrong’s two new direct attach clips, which attach directly to the deck. A threaded rod and cap holds the panels in place. Though these panels covered only 23 percent of the space, the reverberation time was reduced by 55 percent. 

“Attaching the system directly to the deck above allows you to maximize the space,” says Taraborelli. “The drop you can go with from the deck is from 2-3/4 to 6-1/2 inches. The variety of sizes of the panels and the fact that the system is adjustable means you can work around HVAC, piping and other things that might be in the way.”

Table Rock, Niagra Falls, ON

The 35,000 sq. ft. extension on the upper level at Table Rock, consisting of a shopping area and restaurant, features high, open-concept ceilings that didn’t need a lot of acoustic performance, but had to look fantastic. The building owner went with several of the Cast family of products manufactured by CGC, Inc.

“They really wanted a naturally formed texture and an environmentally friendly product,” says Bill Wyatt, CGC’s product manager for ceilings. “So they went with Fresco and Frost, which provided that nice, earthy feel.” The extension features 2,000 sq. ft. of Frost and 700 sq. ft. of Fresco.

The Cast family of products qualifies as “zero emitting”; because of the formula and the raw materials, the panels emit no VOCs or formaldehyde to indoor air, the first of its kind, according to Wyatt.  “It is estimated that on average we spend 90 percent of our time indoors; why not breathe cleaner air?”

Cast panels also feature the ClimaPlus warranty, which guarantees against sagging and mould and bacteria growth.

“The higher the LEED certification desired the more challenging it becomes to obtain credits,” says Wyatt.  “CGC Cast ceiling panels can help the owner obtain credits from Material and Resources, Energy and Atmosphere and IEQ sections.” 

Because it’s not made on a high-speed line, but essentially formed in a mold and baked, the panels feature naturally formed textures that mimic drifting sand; another looks as if it’s been whisked by a broom.  “They’re also extremely durable,” says Wyatt, “and because they are coloured throughout the panel, if you get a scratch you won’t see it.”

Though acoustics may not have been an issue at Table Rock, the panels can perform nonetheless, falling into the .70 NRC range, and beating out the average perforated ceiling panel, which rates a .55. Wyatt says the product caters to the property management community because they provide not only a more comfortable building and superior IEQ, they are also extremely durable.

The Cast family of ceiling panels are available in 2x2 and 2x4 sizes and are installed using shadow line or fine line narrow grid.  Many of these panels are available in colours. 

ASSC1 & ASSC2, Burnaby, BC 

Simon Fraser University recently opened its two-phase Arts and Social Sciences Complex (ASSC1 and ASSC2). ASSC1 features state-of-the-art interdisciplinary labs, standard office and lab spaces, two fifty-seat classrooms and two lecture halls that seat 150 and 300 students respectively. 

Both buildings featured ceiling panels manufactured by 9Wood, a custom wood ceiling manufacturer in Springfield, OR, and supplied by Cascadia Design Products in Vancouver. ASSC1 used perforated 4200 style lift and shift tiles, large 4x8 4400 style torsion spring panels and 9Wood’s 2100 style panelized linear system, while the same styles of perforated lift and shift tiles along with 9Wood’s panelized linear system was used in ASSC2. 

ASSC1 has approximately 1,000 sq. ft. of white maple veneer lift and shift perforated tiles, 750 sq. ft. of white maple veneer non-perforated wood tiles, and about 650 sq. ft. of 9Wood 2100 style panelized linear wood. ASSC2 has approximately 650 sq. ft.  of white maple veneer perforated wood tiles, along with about 5800 sq. ft.  of white maple veneer panelized linear material.

The linear panels for ASSC1 and ASSC2 were fabricated using white maple veneer on a fire-rated particle board core with clear finish, satin sheen panelized linear in ASSC1 and a white maple veneer on ASSC2. 

Cascadia’s Mark Bromley says that while the panels have high aesthetic value, they also were able to support a duct liner behind the ceiling to get high acoustical performance. 

All 9 Wood products are made to order and designed to be suspended by standard 15/16” heavy-duty T-bar grid.

Punjab Milk Food Inc.

The 60,000 sq. ft. federally inspected dairy product manufacturing plant installed 45,000 sq. ft. of Graham Exceliner FRP ceiling tiles and 50,000 sq. ft. of Exceliner FRP wall panels in the newly developed facility. The 2’ x 4’ tiles offer a class C flame spread and nominal .10-inch thickness for ease of installation. 

The Exceliner FRP ceiling tile is a fiberglass-reinforced polymer panel made by Stabilit. The resin rich textured surface resists moisture, scratches and abrasion and meets the need for a clean, bright ceiling material that keeps its fresh look with an absolute minimum of maintenance.

Owner Gary Arneja chose Exceliner tiles because they are accepted by CFIA, impact resistant, don’t rust or corrode and don’t support mould and mildew. The panels lay in to an aluminum, food grade ceiling grid and are light weight with a textured finish for aesthetic value.

Exceliner FRP ceiling tiles are available in nominal sizes of 2’x 4’ & 2’ x 2’. The standard inventory item in Canada is Class C (Flame Spread less than 150) in a bright white colour and embossed texture finish. Other colours, smooth finish or Class A flame spread are available with minimum order quantity. n