Suspended ceilings

Suspended ceilings (or dropped ceilings in the USA) has become the almost standard ceiling system for offices and other applications. This is in part a reflection that an office is no longer just a work space and that the facilities and technical requirements need space overhead for delivery, operation, installation and functionality of installed equipment. Most offices have the underside of the above ceiling as a cast in situ finish, an egg crate finish, steel composite or beam and block construction. This will require rendering and finishing if left as is. The suspended ceiling systems are installed very rapidly and are inexpensive in their basic forms. They are exceptionally versatile for design and for access considerations and for higher end projects design, aesthetics and visual features are readily encompassed and included. The technical considerations and interrelated matters are extensively covered and varied detailing allow for access, installation, sound, fire, lighting, general and specialist cabling and design to be included. In practice all systems work on a suspended grid into which the infill panels are mounted allowing access to the above installations. The basic systems are inexpensive and exceptionally quick to install but the increasing amount of installations and technical equipment plus regulatory compliance have increased the percentage of the budget represented by suspended ceilings and allied services in the void above.