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DECEMBER 2017 | 29 Walls & Ceilings include a waterproofing membrane, aluminum fram- ing that provides support and enables air f low, synthetic rooting media and plants. Using HVAC inte- gration or onboard fans, air is drawn through the plant wall, and microbes on the roots consume indoor con- taminants, thereby producing clean air. S U S TA I N A B L E D E S I G N S Designers, builders and architects are always looking for eco-friendly products, even when it comes to details like wall and ceiling finishes, but at this point, almost everyone in the industry is doing their part to produce products as sustainably as possible. "Caesarstone has always committed to a sustainable production process," explains Filomena. "These implementations range from producing safe, clean working environments, to saving energy in production, to using post-production materi- als to reduce exploitation of natural resources." And as far as the acoustic underlayers are con- cerned, "there's also been an emphasis on both green and recyclable," says Lyle Fuller, president of Wallworks Acoustic Architectural Products. His own company is leaning in to this green revolution: Wallworks' acoustic track systems is a non-PVC product line. Of course, if going green is your main priority when selecting wall materials, biowalls in particular are a sus- tainable option, as there are no filters to replace or by- products to exhaust or dispose of. "We've done a number of projects that use stormwater or HVAC condensate, as well as treated black water for the hydroponic system; in these cases, water top-up is minimal or not required. We're always looking for new ways to save resources," says Alan Darlington, founder of Nedlaw Living Walls. Nedlaw works with clients right from the design stage to make the wall as efficient as possible. By sup- plying fresh air at the right temperature, biofilters lower energy costs by reducing the amount of outdoor air that needs to be heated or cooled. "Rather than just being a nice esthetic, designers today want to know how our technology can contribute back to the build- ing," Darlington explains. "Clients are more educated about biowalls. They want a more technical under- standing rather than just the pretty plants part of it." In China, Nedlaw is working with SOM on a biofil- ter design that will filter polluted outdoor air before it enters the building; in Washington, D.C (also work- ing with SOM), Nedlaw has designed an "eco-chim- ney" that will clean car exhaust air before it exits the parking garage, thus avoiding polluted air from reach- ing the street level, retail and living areas of the new development. "We're still uncovering new applica- tions for our technology and it's incredibly exciting," says Walden. S O U N D A D V I C E As open floor plans in residential and office spaces become increasingly popular, so too does awareness of the importance of well-designed acoustic solutions. It's why Makarchuk is seeing a big demand for felt prod- ucts, felt-covered panels or panels made of felt them- selves. "It seems to be one of the newer trends, and a lot of those products have acoustic absorbing proper- ties to them, too, so they're good for acoustics as well as for looks," he says. "I'd say that's the one that really jumps out at me right away. We're seeing a big demand for those types of products lately." He points to Hunter Douglas's Heartfelt ceiling system as one option for acoustic absorption that's particularly popular, as it can also be used on walls. Fuller notes that wood acoustic wall treatments continue to be popular, as they were last year. "The fab- rics and finishes change every year, so there's always little differences in products year-to-year. We're able to use these different fabrics for the acoustic wall fin- ishes, but that's more in relation to all the new lines that each fabric supplier brings out," he says. "The colours of the fabric change, so we adapt the colours on our finishes to those changes." PolyCore is another option for acoustic treatment that Fuller has seen clients love as of late. Made from polyester, and in some cases from recycled pop bot- tles, it's being used in educational facilities regularly, thanks to its versatility. "I'll call it, 'pintacable' because you can get it in a variety of colours and it can be carved and sculpted into whatever shape the client wants," says Fuller. "You might want it put against a ceiling, so you could cut and fluff the edges to make it look like a cloud." But it isn't just the chance to design clouds that makes this product so appealing to colleges and the like: there's an increasing awareness overall of the importance of proper acoustic environments, espe- cially in academic settings. "If you can't understand what the teacher is saying, you can't learn. That's some- thing that the U.K. instituted probably 25 years ago and we're just catching up now," says Fuller. With these prime developments in the wall and ceil- ing world coming to more spaces, these design compo- nents are evolving from supporting players into full fledged features. A

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