is nothing to stop sound bouncing back into
the room, creating reverberation.
Daniela Carloni from Knauf says the
Stratopanel “provides exceptional acoustic
performance and is the ideal product for
educational settings. It is a seamless perforated
plasterboard lining with a continuous look and
built-in air purification.”
The product features a recycled gypsum core
sandwiched between two layers of heavy-duty
recycled paper. The face paper is ivory but can
be painted to suit any new or existing design.
Stratopanel was specified for a renovation
project at St Monica’s Parish Primary School
in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne,
and the result speaks for itself.
An under-utilised outdoor courtyard was
turned into a modern multi-function area,
accommodating six acoustically separated
classrooms, a large central shared open learning
area, and a presentation space. “One of the
main features of the space,” says Carloni, “was
a curved feature ceiling, with pebble shaped
coffers and skylights with a steel structural
support behind.”
“Stratopanel allowed excellent acoustic
performance while the flexibility in the
material allowed for the architectural featureof the curved ceiling to be achieved due to the
flexibility in the material,” she says.
But perhaps the most significant ceiling
expression is one that mimics having no ceiling
at all. The perfect biophilic design – tricking the
mind and body into believing that it is in fact so
very, very close to the outside world.
In a scholastic space, it is a freeing experience;
who remembers the delights of having a class
take place in the school grounds? Energy levels
increased, spirits elevated, and for that brief,
shining period school was enjoyable.
Schools, universities and colleges are
increasingly being built vertically, rather than
sprawled cross expensive parcels of land.
Light is harder to reach, and an undertone of
claustrophobia is created.
Even more emotionally extreme is the effect
of enclosure, and separation, experienced by
patients in healthcare.
In the clinical environment, in particularly
stressful areas such as nuclear medicine’s MRI
zones, patients’ fears are escalated by a sense of
separation from anything familiar or friendly.
It is in this area that LED lit panels are
appearing. They mimic the most beautiful aspects
of the outside world, a visual breathe in through
your nose, out through your mouth if you will.Sky Factory is an established name in the
industry and has created countless escape
hatches for stressed brains. A gallery of
superb, ultra high-resolution photographic
images are embedded in acrylic panels,
with perfectly flat backlight illuminating the
scene, easily included in a standard panel
ceiling grid.
According to Sky Factory a recent hospital
room based test found that healing was faster,
stress levels were measured to reduce by one
third and anxiety levels were halved. There is
also a flow on effect to staff and staff retention.
The company also has a video or cinema
product, at considerably greater expense, where
an eight-hour loop of a sky can be offered to
inhabitants.
Shifting of colour temperature is also
achieved with programmable LEDs in the
static panel configuration, which in itself can
help in the growing area of dementia care,
where carers are more than familiar with
patient agitation caused by the change in late
afternoon and evening light qualities.
Sometimes there is only an upside to telling
our brains a different story to the one we
expect – after all what’s the harm in a little
azure blue lie?LEFT The Urban Dentist Studio. opposiTE Stratopanel was
specified for a renovation project at St Monica’s Parish Primary School
in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne.suppLiErs innowood http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/
suppliers/innowood-australia-pty-ltd Keystone Linings and Acoustics
http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/keystone-acoustics usG
Boral http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/usg-boral Décor
systems http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/decor-systems
sky Factory http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/sky-factory-
australia Knauf architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/knaufArchiTecTUre & DeSign /prAcTicAL/ jUl-SeP 201955ADQ3_052_055_Ceilings_V3.indd 55 26/7/19 5:17 pm