The following 12 products represent the latest offerings in ceiling and acoustical systems.
1. EZ Stab
CertainTeed Ceilings
The EZ Stab Bolt Slot and EZ Stab Tier Drop suspension systems feature the stainless steel EZ Stab clip, which is stronger than standard clips on the market, according to the maker. Its double-stitched web and staggered rivet holes add stability and reduce twisting. Both systems feature a mitered design on the cross tee and main runner intersections for a clean, continuous slot with multiple lengths.
More on CertainTeed Ceilings’ EZ Stab system.
2. Techstyle
Hunter Douglas
Designed in collaboration with HOK and designer Guillaume Martin, this acoustic tile line offers a selection of organic, abstract, and geometric patterns that can be re-colored to fit the design of any room. A honeycomb design absorbs both high and low frequencies for robust acoustical performance. The Greenguard Gold-certified panels are made of formaldehyde-free, fiberglass composite construction.
More on Hunter Douglas’ Techstyle ceiling.
3. Series 487-ar
C.R. Laurence
Double-glazed, demountable interior office partition system delivers an acoustical rating of up to 47 STC to keep exterior sound out and interior sound in. The system’s 3-1/2-inch air cavity between the two glass lites maximizes acoustical privacy while allowing ample natural light to flow through office interiors. With available snap-in pocket fillers, the Series 487-AR can be converted into a single-glaze system for enhanced versatility.
More on C.R. Laurence’s Series 487-AR office partition system.
4. Simple Modern
Pure + Freeform
This new collection of interior and exterior metal wall panel and ceiling systems offers nine finishes that were inspired by the design team’s discovery of ancient objects during recent travels. Blue Rust, for example, is a fresh take on rust, with purple and sea blue tones, that was inspired from the Beverly Pepper sculpture outside of the Ara Pacis in Rome. Parisian Rust (pictured) was inspired by an 18th-century manuscript found in Paris.
More on Pure + Freeform’s Simple Modern panels.
5. Echostar panels
Kirei
This line of diamond-shaped acoustic panels is designed to be installed in specific areas that require enhanced acoustical control. The diamond facets deflect sound waves while the surface absorbs sound, reducing echo and controlling noise. The single or linked units are available in five colors: white, ivory, speckled gray, gray, and charcoal. The distinctive units also serve as an architectural effect.
More on Kirei’s Echostar panels.
6. Metalworks Blades
Armstrong Ceilings
Line of aluminum ceiling blades has been expanded with 24- and 48-inch lengths—joining the existing line of 96-inch panels—offering designers more flexibility to achieve custom-looking ceiling designs with standard items, including striated, geometric, herringbone, cellular, and linear. The blades are available as perforated or unperforated panels, and in nine colors and six effects.
More on Armstrong’s MetalWorks Linear Blades.
7. Soundedge
Arktura
This collection of modular acoustical fins is constructed from the company’s Soft Sound material (100% PET plastic with up to 50% recycled content) to drastically reduce sound reverberation. The fins are available in a multitude of lengths and depths, are easy to install, and can be mixed and matched in numerous configurations. The material can be spaced to accommodate off-the-shelf lighting systems. Starting price: $150/fin.
More on Arktura’s Soundedge.
8. Integrity 4200
Rockfon
Designed for museums, art galleries, hotels, event spaces, office lobbies, airports, and other high-profile interiors, the Chicago Metallic Integrity 4200 suspension system features a double reveal for a high-end look with a smooth, white surface. It uses Rockfon acoustic stone wool panels with a square tegular narrow edge. The panels rest flush with the center bar of the grid profile to produce the double reveal.
More on Rockfon’s Integrity 4200 ceiling system.
9. Miami-dade-ready ceilings
usg
Six exterior ceiling systems by USG have received Notices of Acceptance (NOAs) from Miami-Dade County for performance during severe weather testing. Included in the approvals are USG’s drywall suspension system and a series of metal exterior ceilings, including Paraline Plus Linear, Celebration Snap-In, and Celebration Torsion Spring. Applications include soffits, parking garages, and covered entrances.
More on USG Miami-Dade-ready ceilings.
10. cmp-alu6010
GKD
The historic King of England building in Stuttgart, Germany, is the first suspended-ceiling application for GKD’s CMP-Alu6010 composite mesh panel. The panels were used for the grid-free installation of ceiling elements made of gold-anodized aluminum mesh, creating a striking space on the top floor of the building. Made of metal mesh and aluminum honeycomb plate, the material delivers sag-free performance.
More on GKD’s CMP-Alu6010 composite mesh panel.
11. qmark panels
Marley Engineered Products
Radiant ceiling panels are designed to provide localized spot heating or primary heating for a range of applications, from hotels to offices to hospital rooms. The panels can be specified by dimension and output level, and are offered in custom colors and finishes. Panels are available in standard 24x24- and 24x48-inch drop ceiling panels, as well as custom sizes up to 28 inches wide and 96 inches long.
More on Marley Qmark panels.
12. Integrated Solar Nightlight
solatube
Tubular daylighting device for light commercial and residential applications features a solar panel that harvests and stores power, so that when the sun goes down it’s illuminated as a nightlight. During the day, the system functions as a daylighting device, transferring light down a highly reflective tube—which bends up to 90 degrees and can be up to 70 feet long—and distributes it evenly into an interior space.
More on the Solatube Integrated Solar Nightlight.
Related Stories
| Jan 7, 2011
How Building Teams Choose Roofing Systems
A roofing survey emailed to a representative sample of BD+C’s subscriber list revealed such key findings as: Respondents named metal (56%) and EPDM (50%) as the roofing systems they (or their firms) employed most in projects. Also, new construction and retrofits were fairly evenly split among respondents’ roofing-related projects over the last couple of years.
| Jan 4, 2011
Product of the Week: Zinc cladding helps border crossing blend in with surroundings
Zinc panels provide natural-looking, durable cladding for an administrative building and toll canopies at the newly expanded Queenstown Plaza U.S.-Canada border crossing at the Niagara Gorge. Toronto’s Moriyama & Teshima Architects chose the zinc alloy panels for their ability to blend with the structures’ scenic surroundings, as well as for their low maintenance and sustainable qualities. The structures incorporate 14,000 sf of Rheinzink’s branded Angled Standing Seam and Reveal Panels in graphite gray.
| Jan 4, 2011
Furniture Sustainability Standard - Approved by ANSI and Released for Distribution
BIFMA International recently announced formal American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval and release of the ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Furniture Sustainability Standard. The e3 standard represents a structured methodology to evaluate the "sustainable" attributes of furniture products and constitutes the technical criteria of the level product certification program.
| Dec 7, 2010
Product of the Week: Petersen Aluminum’s column covers used in IBM’S new offices
IBM’s new offices at Dulles Station West in Herndon, Va., utilized Petersen’s PAC-1000 F Flush Series column covers. The columns are within the office’s Mobility Area, which is designed for a mobile workforce looking for quick in-and-out work space. The majority of workspaces in the office are unassigned and intended to be used on a temporary basis.
| Nov 2, 2010
A Look Back at the Navy’s First LEED Gold
Building Design+Construction takes a retrospective tour of a pace-setting LEED project.
| Nov 2, 2010
Wind Power, Windy City-style
Building-integrated wind turbines lend a futuristic look to a parking structure in Chicago’s trendy River North neighborhood. Only time will tell how much power the wind devices will generate.
| Oct 13, 2010
Test run on the HP Z200 SFF Good Value in a Small Package
Contributing Editor Jeff Yoders tests a new small-form factor, workstation-class desktop in Hewlett-Packard’s line that combines performance of its minitower machine with a smaller chassis and a lower price.
| Oct 13, 2010
Prefab Trailblazer
The $137 million, 12-story, 500,000-sf Miami Valley Hospital cardiac center, Dayton, Ohio, is the first major hospital project in the U.S. to have made extensive use of prefabricated components in its design and construction.
| Oct 13, 2010
Hospital tower gets modern makeover
The Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn., expanded its D unit, a project that includes a 243,443-sf addition with a 12-room operating suite, a 36-bed intensive care unit, and an enlarged emergency department.
