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DECEMBER 2018 | 29 Walls & Ceilings PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY NEDLAW LIVING WALLS; FORMGLAS INTERIORS INC. The latest wall and ceiling products embrace wellness, comfort, and functionality by STACEY MCLACHLAN W hile walls and ceilings are fundamental architectural fea- tures that serve a very basic practical purpose, they've also developed into an opportunity for innovation and decoration. The thing about walls, says Ron Kent, executive VP of Envirowall Partition Systems Limited, is that they don't actually change too much from a surface level; the world is not exactly taking a break from drywall anytime soon. But that being said, the humble drywall, beneath the surface, is "always evolving. We're seeing a few more substrates, we're doing stuff in the U.S. a little more on secure rock, which is a paperless board so it's totally mould resistant," Kent says. This may not be new, but "the product has just got better. We can offer it with more." Envirowall is seeing business pick up on the mobile side of things as construction has expanded. Mobile offices like trailers make up a big part of the company's business both in Canada and the U.S., especially for projects like Toronto Transit Commission's repairs or CN Rail jobs. Envirowall's offerings are popular for these sorts of transient clients because their product is pre-made, which means it can be assembled quickly with no dust mess. "When it needs to be done quickly, it's one of the best solutions," says Kent. But just because these walls can go up in a flash, whether for a local construction site or for a design competition in China, doesn't mean they're not built to last. "These panels are pre-fin- ished so when they go to put it up once the panels are up, they're basically finished and there's nothing else they need to do," says Kent. "But many are perma- nent, very very permanent." While drywall remains king, manufacturers are still innovating and creating new material options. Formglas, for example, is innovating with a whole dif- ferent material: the company's Concreet line offers a faux concrete finish for interior applications, which is available in easy-to-handle lightweight veneer panels, column covers, or can be moulded into elab- orate or complex geometrical shapes that can be installed where desired. The primary advantage of Concreet, like Formglas' other product lines, is that it goes up in hours instead of days, and still simulates a contemporary poured-in-place or troweled concrete appearance, without all the mess. # Y E S F I LT E R Nedlaw Living Walls is an extreme (and extremely striking) example of the overall demand for wellness moving into spatial design. The high-tech living wall biofilters remove pollutants, thanks to microbes on the roots that eat air contaminants. Combining phy- toremediation and hydroponics, these walls do more than just divide space or look pretty: they actively filter the air to create a healthier space. Though the technology hasn't changed greatly over the past few years, Nedlaw's been taking on more projects than ever before – in fact, says Randy Walden, president, 2018 may be Nedlaw's busiest year on record. Each Nedlaw biofilter is custom, though the mechanical requirements remain largely the same, wall to wall. For Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, the team installed a 36.4-square-metre liv- ing wall biofilter, and at the renovated St. Joseph's Hospital in Thunder Bay, Ontario, a 30-square-metre installation of its own was installed to help with patient wellness. "What's advantageous is that we can build to any configuration, horizontal or vertical, even elevate above a doorway – whatever a designer can envision, we can put a wall virtually anywhere, any shape," says Walden. Though health care and education make up a big part of Nedlaw's client base, the company is increas- ingly getting requests from commercial spaces, like retail or offices, from designers interested in specify- ing projects that improve the well-being of visitors, customers, or employees. "It seems that owners are really embracing the values and benefits of greening offices. Our biofilters remove an incredible amount of toxins from the indoor environment, and we know that cleaner air makes for happier, healthier employ- ees. We feel that the message is spreading and we're experiencing our busiest year ever because of it. Clients are embracing not just the tangibles but the intangibles of the product: these walls help people feel better and perform better," says Walden. "People are healthier around nature and there's real momen- tum around that." S O U N D I N G B O A R D Great designers don't just consider how a room looks, they want to create a space that feels great and func- tions even better. Acoustics are a huge part of that, and, luckily, as the technology of sound control products improves, the design evolves along with it. "At this point we do see that the use of felt prod- ucts is still a current trend amongst interior ceiling and walls," explains Krysta (Mohammed) Conicella, executive office administrator for Sound Solutions. Products like Hunter Douglas' Heartfelt ceiling sys- tem are a perfect example of this style: the modular system is made up of polyester felt, adding soft tex- ture to linear ceiling planes and dampening sound pleasantly in the process. Compatible with industry standards for every- thing from HVAC to fire and security, and available in five chic shades of grey, it's no surprise the thought- fully designed product won a Red Dot Award. It's A Wrap Fanshawe College, London, ON. Formglas Ocean Prime Concreet coffered ceiling.

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