Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/177297
i It's not just about drywall anymore: that is the sentiment driving architects and developers when it comes to wall and ceiling applications, or at least as far as Vic Semenov and Lyle Fuller can perceive. Semenov, who is general manager of the Power Group of Companies, remarks, "I've been in the business for 43 years in North America and Australia and have seen a lot of evolvement in architectural products. But one thing that is big of late is a diversion from standard cookie-cutter commercial and institutional construction towards unique ceiling products. Instead of the usual commodity ceilings, developers are using higher-end wood or acoustic products and floating ceilings." Why this is happening at a time when budgets are so constrained? "Obviously, architects are doing a good job persuading building owners to invest in higher-end products," Semenov theorizes. "Whatever the reason, warmer, more pleasant ceilings are being installed, which is good not only from a design viewpoint but also because it has been documented that people in soothing environments are more relaxed, happier and more productive. So even though a wood grain-type of suspended ceiling costs more than a convention ceiling, it could be argued that the cost is offset by increased employee productivity and improved staff retention." Semenov credits organizations such as UBC Properties Trust for embracing "innovative systems such as acoustic wall panels and poured-in-place concrete finishes." Recent Power Drywall projects include two at UBC: the Earth Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences buildings. Power provided both facilities with wood suspended ceilings and acoustical wall panels for lecture halls and some offices. "For Earth Sciences, we did a lot of intricate finishes to drywall, reveals that were architecturally designed," says Semenov. "For the Pharmaceutical building, the designer originally wanted aluminum panels with reveals in some areas, but we substituted this with a drywall finish with reveals that look very similar to aluminum but cost substantially less." Semenov rejects the notion that drywall is less durable than aluminum. "Plus, if you dent aluminum you have to replace the entire panel, whereas with drywall you need only patch and paint it." Lyle Fuller, general manager of Wallworks Acoustic Architectural Products Inc., has seen ceiling and wall trends evolve over the years, and he remarks, "Everything old becomes new again. Currently, new perforated acoustic wood wall treatments are surging forward after wood had been diminished by fabric- and vinyl-covered acoustic treatments for many years. The new specialty engineered products, including the Tavapan system used by our company, don't reflect sound or create ear mush like the old wood paneling did." While some wood treatments provided by Wallworks may not be as highly acoustic as other systems, "you can now obtain up to the performance capacity of most fabric or vinyl acoustic treatments," says Fuller. "Plus, wood imparts that much-desired warm appearance. It's being used in everything from boardrooms to performance centre settings, universities and city halls. Wood is significantly more expensive than fabric or vinyl finishes and is probably no less prone to damage than these surfaces, but it seems to be the material of choice for some designers." Fuller stresses that fabric- and vinyl-finished panels "by far still commands the biggest share of the acoustics market. It's just that these new perforated wood products are allowing it to work again for a market that it really really didn't perform well in before." Fuller and his staff are also enjoying great results with another product: Acoustiblok. "Acoustiblok looks like rubber sheet matting but it's impregnated with a very dense mineral," he says. When you lay it up, it can reduce sound transmission through walls up to the equivalent of four layers of drywall. "We are finding many uses for it in commercial and residential construction as well as for exterior sound barrier walls and automotive and marine environments," Fuller adds. Walls and Ceilings p22-23Walls.indd 23 ezoBord as shelf inserts, from iVekter. Beyond the Surface Wall and ceiling applications move beyond drywall, providing more options than ever before by Robin Brunet Acoustiblok is a proprietary viscoelastic polymer material with a highdensity mineral content; heavy, yet extremely flexible. As sound waves cause the Acoustiblok material to flex, internal friction occurs and acoustical energy is transformed into immeasurable trace amounts of heat. Properly positioned, a 1/8-inch layer in a standard wall can result in more sound reduction than 12 inches of poured concrete. Acoustiblok has a historical precedent dating back to when lead sheeting was used as a sound barrier. When concerns about lead became prevalent, the lead sheets were replaced by leadloaded vinyl and eventually by bariumloaded vinyl. "Acoustiblok out-performs all of these products, contains no lead, barium or asbestos material, and it's LEED-friendly," says Fuller. Doug Bartlett, partner in iVekter Inc., says the interest in the firm's recycled acoustic wall product, branded 'ezoBord' grew to such a degree in the two years since its launch that the company created a stand-alone division in order to accommodate the wide array of clients from many different market sectors. ezoBord is an affordable nine-millimetre-thick acoustic wall treatment that is made partly from recycled soda and water bottles, comes in nine colours and is extremely lightweight: a four- by eight-foot sheet weighs 13 pounds. It can be easily cut and shaped on site, and according to Bartlett, "it has a unique surface texture that some buyers compare to felt. As a semi-rigid sheet, it is excellent for straight wall applications, but it can also be installed as a 'wrap-around' on columns." The composition of ezoBord is 100 per cent polyester fibre without adhesives or bonding agents, and is water- and impactresistant as well as bacteria-resistant. iVecktor recently supplied and installed ezoBord in music rooms for a new school in Toronto and in a post-production studio in Manhattan. ezoBord has been tested in Mississauga to CAN/ULC S102 flame spread and smoke, and is also developed to the ASTM E84 standard. It was tested for NRC (noise reduction coefficient – ASTM C423) at the National Research Council in Ottawa. "It has been thoroughly vetted," says Bartlett, "and a wide variety of clients are demanding it for its effectiveness, versatility and colour range." CGC Inc.'s Radar ClimaPlus Open Plan was launched this summer. The system provides excellent sound performance for open-plan offices, while the Olympia Micro ClimaPlus HRC ceiling panels provide high recycled content. ■ december 2012 /23 11/16/12 3:20 PM