Graphics galore
Armstrong Ceilings has expanded its line of Infusions Accent Canopies with the addition of a new palette of graphics styles that includes dots, stripes, ovals, and oars. Graphix, the new screen-printed panels, come in five designs and three color combinations. A coordinating design is printed on the other side of each panel, resulting in 30 distinct visual combinations. The new additions also mesh with the solid colors and complementary patterns already in the Infusions line.
Armstrong Ceilings
Input No. 260 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
Architectural resin forms shape up any ceiling
3form Shapes take ecoresin to a new level with six 3D, compound-formed curves combined with sleek, functional ceiling hardware. The curvilinear forms add geometry and color. Six predefined shapes may be downloaded for specification at www.3-form.com/solutions-shapes-sculptural_forms.php.
3form
Input No. 264 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
Noise-reducing underlayment
Quiet Solutions' QuietPad 420 floor underlayment is designed for noise reduction in high-rise concrete construction. The new QuietPad, only 1/16-inch in thickness, can be affixed directly to the concrete subfloor and allows attachment of wood or tile directly on top, without an extra layer in between. The thin underlayment replaces products that are often ÂĽ-inch thick or more, providing an advantage to contractors that want to make best use of every inch. QuietPad has a Robinson floor test rating of light commercial, and is designed for wood or tile flooring. The product is recommended for hotel and high-rise condominium and office construction.
Quiet Solutions
Input No. 266 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
Extra! Extra! Newseum's ceiling panels are big news
The 25,000-sf Newseum recently opened in Washington, D.C., with 17,000 sf of black Squareline Ultra Metal ceiling tile in its main atrium, galleries, lobby, and cafeteria.
“A central aesthetic focus in the Newseum is transparency, and black Squareline tiles fit the look perfectly,” says Paul Gallagher, of ceiling tile installer C.J. Coakley, Falls Church, Va. “It was a sound-friendly solution because the open mesh pattern of the tiles allows sound to get trapped in the plenum space. A traditional metal ceiling would have created additional unwanted sound reverberation.”
The Newseum application included framed and frameless standard and custom-sized ceiling tiles that were modified to accommodate strip light fixtures and structural posts and hooks to support suspended displays and a video screen.
Squareline tiles offer a noise reduction coefficient of 0.55-0.60.
Pinta Acoustic
Input No. 267 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
Increase R-value by 22%
In recent independent tests, Acoustiblok soundproofing material posted a 22% increase in R-value when its 1/8-inch material was added to a stud wall. The newly formulated Acoustiblok creates a sound transmission coefficient of 57 feet, the sound-blocking equivalent more than 12 inches of concrete. Acoustiblok actually changes the acoustical energy into inaudible friction energy as it vibrates from sound waves, according to the manufacturer. The product can be installed by stapling or screwing the material to the studs before putting on drywall.
Acoustiblok
Input No. 263 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
Eco-friendly jobsite recycling at Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport's 12-year-old ceiling panels were discolored or sagging, so the city hired local firm Wong Strauch Architects to design a new ceiling system.
The architects ruled out demolishing the existing panels as too expensive and disruptive to airport operations. Then ceilings contractor Acoustics Systems presented a solution that would allow the airport to keep the existing ceiling grid and replace the old panels with CertainTeed panels trimmed to fit the existing grid. This would save $2 million and cause much less disturbance to airport customers and personnel.
“The airport wanted a cutting-edge ceiling design, featuring panels with a more contemporary, smooth, tailored look and a resistance to the staining often caused by jet fuel exhaust,” says John Yancey, senior associate at Wong Strauch Architects. “The Sand Micro ceiling panels met all of these requirements and had the most sophisticated look.”
A mineral fiber ceiling panel with pulverized-marble aggregate coating, Sand Micro offers an upscale look with enhanced durability and resistance to sagging.
Acoustics Systems installed 375,000 sf of the panels. The old ceiling tiles were shipped in eight truckloads to a plant in Meridian, Miss., where they were recycled and used in making new CertainTeed Baroque panels.
CertainTeed
Input No. 262 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
Sound masking in green buildings
Some strategies that help make a building green—daylighting, temperature regulation, and energy conservation—tend to lower speech privacy and noise control. Many LEED buildings rank below average in acoustic ratings.
To make its 110,000-sf headquarters building in downtown Toronto both green and acoustically pleasing, business software provider SAS Canada installed the LogiSon Acoustic Network. The network—a contemporary sound masking, paging, and music system—consists of a series of software-controlled speakers which distribute an engineered background noise that sounds like softly blowing air.
This sound is quickly accepted by occupants and helped SAS Canada to achieve excellent acoustics, despite an open ceiling and low workstation panels. Networked control of individual speaker settings and zoning allowed the masking sound to be customized for their space. The network also has low energy requirements and uses recyclable parts.
LogiSon
Input No. 261 at BDCnetwork.com/quickResponse
