CEILINGS, PARTITIONS & RAISED FLOORS

FOCUS ON: CEILINGS, PARTITIONS & RAISED FLOORS

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MAKING THE MOST OF A FIT-OUT

By Jennifer Wood Ceilings, partitions and raised floors CEILINGS - hardly the most glamorous of On MoreySrnith's current subjects, yet the cornerstone of most project for Sony Computer commercial Jit-outs. As individual Entertainment we have given elements they are not exactly deal the deep, low office floorplate breakers, but that does not mean a lift by creating a bespoke they cannot play an important part ceiling design, which in the overall design of a scheme. incorporates a central area of exposed concrete slab. Services The following three sections in this area have been relocated will look at each of these to other parts of the ceiling elements separately. The leave the concrete waffles clear experience of Morey Smith of obstructions. This adds up to - a multi-disciplinary 600mm to the ceiling height in consultancy specialising in a 12 x 5.5m area. Bespoke light 'total-design' solutions will boxes fold around the perimeter be used to illustrate advances in and large Diabolo light fittings each of these distinct elements. from Modular Lighting Finally, a case study of punctuate the central area of Morey Smith s project for EMI concrete, giving strong yet soft Virgin will show how, when lighting to the darkest area of ceilings, partitions and raised the floor - 19m from natural floors are considered together, light at its centre. A strip of SAS the architect can control the galvanised metal, perforated design's overall aesthetic effect ceiling tiles then runs the length - and functional performance. of the floor on each side. This strikes through areas of more conventional white-metal ceiling tiles (also supplied by SAS), all set within plasterboard surrounds. The variation created by these finishes and levels breaks up the space, dispelling the feeling of acres of low, flat ceiling tiles stretching into the distance. to Traditional acoustic ceiling tiles can be unsuitable for some office environments. Sto's StoSilent Panels made from 96 per cent recycled glass - are an alternative which can be cut as necessary to accommodate elements such as lighting and air grilles. Morey Smith used this product in the cafe and reception at CABE's headquarters, where a combination of hard flooring and furnishings threatened to create a hostile acoustic environment. Successful bespoke ceiling design requires the involvement of the M&E consultants early on. On a current project for Great Portland Estates, Morey Smith is working with Arup to provide a fairfaced exposed concrete soffit to Cat A floors. Even though the end user is unknown, they want to create an innovative ceiling that allows flexibility for future occupants. GGBS concrete replacement aggregate containing china clay waste with Mica fragments will increase the reflectance by 15 per cent compared with regular concrete and add sparkle to the surface. A 50mm rebatable zone within the concrete incorporates a recessed race/ service way which houses a lighting track and fire-alarm system, leaving the rest of the

1. Sony Computer Entertainment: bespoke light boxes fold around the edge of the exposed concrete slab 2. A strip of SAS galvanised-metal, perforated ceiling tiles runs the length of the floor on both sides 3 & 4. Dalsouple rubber floor tiles come in a range of colours 5. StoSilent panels were used at CABE to prevent a hostile acoustic environment

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6. Haworth's TecCrete f l o o r t i l e has a beautiful exposed-concrete surface 7. Kingspan's unfinished metal f l o o r t i l e s were used at Flextech TV

soffit clear. Suspended light fittings c a n be hung on the track a n d moved around as required by the tenant. Five Line H a l f In fittings from M o d u l a r Lighting will be recessed into the soffit to follow the column lines a n d a d d a n o t h e r visual p l a n e to the ceiling. Displacement air conditioning is supplied through a floor plenum b e n e a t h the raised floor, again keeping the ceiling clear of obstructions. FLOORS H a r d floor finishes c a n be difficult to achieve in areas where access is required: on-floor breakout areas, for example, where y o u w a n t to create a cafe feel b u t still need the flexibility of the access floor, Several products suit this kind of a r e a perfectly, o n e being t h e Dalsouple r u b b e r tile; if

factory-bonded to the floor tiles, this gives an easy-to-clean, sleek floor covering w h i c h allows access to all cabling underneath. Dalsouple tiles are available in a h u g e range of colours and textures. Or w h y do anything to the raised floor tiles at all? At Flextech TV, MoreySmith simply used unfinished metal floor tiles, which were applied to great effect. T h e system, m a d e by Kingspan, is an R M G medium grade floor.The tiles b o u n c e light a r o u n d the space a n d look fantastic - long a trick of developers for marketing empty office floors . H a w o r t h s TecCrete floor tile is a heavy-duty raised floor tile designed specifically for offices. It has a unique steeland-concrete structure which gives it incredible strength a n d durability, y e t its exposed

concrete surface is also beautiful e n o u g h to leave bare. This provides an industrial look, but with more refinement t h a n plain steel tiles. Raised floors are adapting to n e w ways of working: m a n y companies are moving away from heavy churn, in the sense of lifting floors every six months to reconfigure grommets a n d move w h o l e banks of desks. At C h a n n e l 4, MoreySmith moved staff from a 30 per cent cellular layout into a fully o p e n - p l a n space; staff n o w sit on b e n c h style desking a n d the building c a n a c c o m m o d a t e 15 p e r cent m o r e people. T h e generic layouts a n d specified desks enable facilities teams to move people rather t h a n desks. W h e n churn a n d restructuring necessitate frequent movement, such schemes enable the process to be simpler a n d cheaper.

PARTITIONS C h a n g e s in open-plan areas are also affecting office partitioning. H o w m u c h do people really need to reconfigure offices? If office sizes are regulated then people can be moved rather t h a n partitions - this will save time a n d money on churn. W h e n m i n i m a l c h u r n is anticipated, by far t h e cheapest option is to use drywall partitioning (approx ,200 per metre).When combined with bespoke glazing a n d d o o r sets, this can achieve a level of detail not always possible with d e m o u n t a b l e options. This is also one of the cheapest ways to attain higher dB ratings for acoustically sensitive areas. At EMI's headquarters in Kensington, MoreySmith used plasterboard crosswalk t e a m e d with frameless, glazed office

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8. A variation in finishes created visual distinctions between EMI's departments 9. London Wall: movable acoustic wall

fronts and veneered or lacquered doors and frames. The variation of the finishes to the doors and different manifestations to the glass helped create an individual feel for the various departments, When both transparency and high acoustic properties are required, double glazing is the best solution. However, at around 1,000 per metre for a high-spec system, it's not cheap. At Osborne Clarke, MoreySmith used Komfort's Polar DG system for key meeting rooms. In these areas it was crucial for daylight from the perimeter wall to light the circulation spaces, but privacy was essential for the meeting rooms. The panels were teamed with bamboo-veneered doors and a special aluminium track detail at the head and sides was recessed into the plasterboard.

This resulted in a seamless wall of glass which flooded the lobby with light. Using this system only in the lightsensitive areas kept costs down. Where a high level of flexibility is required, some new ranges of demountable partitioning provide a sleek off-the-shelf alternative. Schuco's Jansen Economy 50 range is a steel framed partitioning system; MoreySmith left this in its raw steel state at Virgin Music to complement the industrial look of the interior. The Reflex system by Castiglia Associates with K Miksza is a sleek single or double-glazed system with an anodised aluminium finish and a wide range of options, including in-built storage solutions and sleek sliding doors which can be up to

1,500mm wide and have all-rolling gear concealed within the head track. For the ultimate in flexibility, London Wall supplies a wide range of tailor m a d e solutions including Type 100M (a manually operated, top hung, movable, acoustic wall) and Type 100SE (a semi automatic, movable, acoustic wall, which can be jointed together to provide a single straight sliding panel). London Wall works with a wide range of finishes and details. So while ceilings, partitions and floors may not always be as exciting as front-of-house or feature areas, getting them right in the workplace is essential for user comfort and, therefore, key to successful delivery. Jennifer Wood is an associate at MoreySmith

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CASE STUDY EMI Virgin MoreySmith has transformed two floors (1,530m2) of Crown House - an unattractive 1980s building on Hammersmith Road, London - into a funky, functional headquarters for Virgin Music. Virgin's previous offices in Kensal Green, London, were outdated and departments were spread out over several buildings and on very small floorplates. Crown House unites departments within Virgin on two larger floorplates, encouraging teams to work more closely together. The new headquarters houses Virgin's marketing, creative, A&R and TV departments, as well as the Innocent label and Angel Records - approximately 80 staff. Influences on the design included raw industrial materials and elements of retro. The brief required the creation of a distinctive, non-corporate work environment that would encourage communication while maintaining security. A new entrance at the rear of the building creates separate access for Virgin's staff and visitors, therefore increasing security for artists. The entrance involved significant structural work and gave MoreySmith the opportunity to incorporate a cantilevered timber box to form a new window in the first-floor meeting room. Windows in the reception area have been boarded over to create a graphic wall and to house a recessed plasma screen; the solid wall contrasts with the light penetrating the space through the glass entrance doors and the fabric-interlayer glass. Reclaimed timber flooring and an exposed concrete soffit give an industrial feel; a pleated sack fabric installation wall also adds texture. Cellbond panels with hexagonal aluminium cells form a feature light panel in the ceiling, while also concealing services. Visitors pass through the metal-grille accesscontrol gate into the dramatic, double-height cafe area. The slab has been cut away and a striking curved staircase now climbs from the ground to the first floor. This has brown rubber treads and a hand-stitched, red leather handrail. All structure and services in this area have been left exposed. A surface-mounted, galvanised conduit leads to three Verner Panton Fun pendant lights that glitter in the stair void. As the hub of the Virgin, Innocent and Angel Labels, the cafe provides staff with a space to relax, have meetings and host events. Low levels of lighting throughout the cafe achieve a cosy atmosphere after daylight hours. The space is also excellent for functions and is regularly host to seminars, live performances and other events.

The design of the office areas helps create a united environment and encourages communication. Each department is now on the same floor, and the offices have glass fronts which create a visually coherent environment where light and visibility promote interaction. The use of galvanised ceiling tiles set into plasterboard margins immediately removes any sense of a corporate office space. These catch the light in quite a different way and, combined with wall lights or uplighters, give a softer light level to the working areas - something wanted by Virgin's staff, who mostly prefer to have the top lights off and work by individual task lights on their desks. An open grille to the centre of the ceiling which follows the circulation route through the office floor - reveals services, industrial lighting and the concrete slab as a reference to the rawness used in other areas. Unlike more corporate frameless glazing, the galvanised framed office fronts supplied by Jansen Systems, combined with the reclaimed oak desking and battered chesterfield sofas, reflect the more informal atmosphere of Virgin Records. Virgin Records is not a typical open-plan office. 'Family groups', comprising two to eight people, share a tailor-made work space to enable open-plan-style working within the team, while maintaining confidentiality in an industry where the labels are often in competition for the same artist and new promotions are fiercely guarded until their release date. These smaller open-plan groups provide a relaxed and intimate atmosphere and allow for 'customisation' of the space.

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10 & 11. The new entrance and reception provides access exclusively for Virgin staff and visitors 12 & 13. The double-height cafe area with its striking curved staircase

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14, 15 & 16. A colour palette of reds and browns creates an informal atmosphere while reinforcing the brand identity

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READER ENQUIRIES ARUP DALSOUPLE DIRECT EBS REFLEX SYSTEM SUPPLIED BY FORZA HAWORTH UK JANSEN STEEL SYSTEMS KINGSPAN ACCESS FLOORS KOMFORT LONDON WALL DESIGN MODULAR LIGHTING UK SAS SAS INTERNATIONAL SCHUCO STO 1504 1505 1500 1511 1507 1509 1506 1508 1512 1502 1513 1501 1510 1503

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www.ajplus.co.uk/ajdirect

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CEILINGS, PARTITIONS AND RAISED FLOORS COSTS

DAVIS LANGDON DETAILS A RANGE OF COSTS FOR CEILINGS, PARTITIONS AND RAISED FLOORS. ALL RATES ARE APPROPRIATE FOR A MEDIUM-SIZED COMMERCIAL CONTRACT IN OUTER LONDON IN MAY 2806 SUSPENDED CEILINGS I n c l u d i n g perimeter t r i m s , GLAZED PARTITONS /m2 Half-glazed p a r t i t i o n s 560 - 800 Frameless glazed p a r t i t i o n 560 - 700 Glazed h a l f - h o u r f i r e - r a t e d screen 850 - 1,200 Glazed one-hour f i r e - r a t e d screen 1,500+ M a n i f e s t a t i o n - 600mm-high band 30 - 40 Manifestation patterned 15 - 20/m 2 SLIDING FOLDING PARTITION Top-hung, o n e - p o i n t suspension, s l i d i n g p a r t i t i o n Vinyl finish 350 - 400 Hardwood-veneered, a c o u s t i c p a r t i t i o n s 500 - 600 STORAGE WALLS 500-600mm-deep, f u l l - h e i g h t , i n t e g r a t e d storage u n i t s Melamine-faced chipboard 380 - 450 Stove-enamelled s t e e l 450 - 525 CUBICLE PARTITIONS /nr Standard range, melamine-covered c h i p b o a r d , w i t h standard ironmongery Single cubicle 440 - 510 Range of two c u b i c l e s 630 - 800 IPS system, l a m i n a t e - f a c e d mdf, p r o p r i e t a r y system 400 - 500 WC back p a n e l l i n g , l a m i n a t e - f a c e d mdf, p r o p r i e t a r y system 150 - 190/m 2 RAISED FLOORS /m A l l - i n r a t e s f o r areas o f 500-1,000m 2 , e x c l u d i n g e l e c t r i c a l boxes, f i r e b a r r i e r s and f l o o r c o v e r i n g s . A 600 x 600mm panel almost u n i v e r s a l ; some are 450 x 450mm or 750 x 750mm panels (add 2-3/m 2 to r a t e s ) . RAISED-ACCESS PLATFORM FLOORS 600 x 600mm panels of chipboard faced both sides w i t h g a l v a n i s e d - s t e e l sheet o r a c r y l i c s t o v e enamelled s t e e l p r e s s i n g s , a d j u s t a b l e s t e e l o r aluminium pedestals bonded and b o l t e d to sub f l o o r CAVITY HEIGHT 100-300mm GRADE Medium Heavy Extra heavy Medium Heavy Extra heavy /m2 - 35 - 45 - 55 - 50 - 55 - 65 /m 12 17 22 10

etc.

PLASTERBOARD /m2 One l a y e r p l a s t e r b o a r d on M/F system w i t h p l a s t e r skim and emulsion f i n i s h 22 - 30 One l a y e r m o i s t u r e - r e s i s t a n t p l a s t e r b o a r d on M/F system w i t h p l a s t e r skim and emulsion f i n i s h 28 - 38 Two l a y e r s p l a s t e r b o a r d on M/F system w i t h p l a s t e r skim and emulsion f i n i s h 28 - 38 One l a y e r p l a s t e r b o a r d on M/F system w i t h p l a s t e r skim and emulsion f i n i s h , one-hour f i r e resistant 30 - 40 F r a m e / t i l e p r i c e s r e l a t e to 600 x 600mm t i l e s , exposed g r i d w i t h p l a i n edge t r i m M i n e r a l f i b r e , standard q u a l i t y 17 - 21 M i n e r a l f i b r e , medium q u a l i t y Exposed g r i d 27 - 33 Concealed g r i d 30 - 36 Metal t i l e s , p o l y e s t e r powder coated, bevelled edged, c l i p - i n system w i t h concealed g r i d Plain t i l e s 30 - 40 Perforated t i l e s 40 - 50 Hygienic suspended c e i l i n g system 35 - 50 Acoustic suspended c e i l i n g s 40 - 60 S t r e t c h c e i l i n g system w i t h perimeter t r a c k and l i g h t w e i g h t v i n y l membrane 60 - 70 One-hour f i r e b a r r i e r t o suspended c e i l i n g c a v i t y , 500mm high 27 - 30/m PARTITIONS Based on an average height of 2.8m METAL STUD PARTITIONS P a r t i t i o n l i n e d both sides w i t h one l a y e r of p l a s t e r b o a r d , i n s u l a t i o n - f i l l e d c a v i t y P a r t i t i o n l i n e d both sides w i t h two l a y e r s of p l a s t e r b o a r d , i n s u l a t i o n - f i l l e d c a v i t y P a r t i t i o n l i n e d both sides w i t h one l a y e r of plasterboard, i n s u l a t i o n - f i l l e d cavity, half-hour f i r e resistance P a r t i t i o n l i n e d both sides w i t h two l a y e r s of plasterboard, i n s u l a t i o n - f i l l e d cavity, one-hour f i r e r e s i s t a n c e TIMBER STUD PARTITONS P a r t i t i o n l i n e d both sides w i t h one l a y e r of p l a s t e r b o a r d , i n s u l a t i o n - f i l l e d c a v i t y DEMOUNTABLE PARTITIONS G a l v a n i s e d - s t e e l frame w i t h p l a s t e r b o a r d G a l v a n i s e d - s t e e l frame w i t h hung p a r t i t i o n Extra f o r glazed panel /m ! 100 - 130 130 - 155

115 - 150

300-600mm

30 40 50 40 45 55

140 - 170 CAVITY FIRE BARRIERS WITHIN PLATFORM FLOORS Half-hour f i r e r a t i n g One-hour f i r e r a t i n g One-and-a-half-hour f i r e r a t i n g Acoustic b a r r i e r 10 15 20 8-

90 - 120 220 - 260 235 - 270 180 - 260

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