Wood grill ceiling adds design detail to £6 million shared workspace development

A £6 million built landmark business development in Northumberland has been enhanced with a high quality grill ceiling, thanks to the  experts at global architectural products company Hunter Douglas.

Blyth Workspace is a modern serviced office space for businesses – ranging from start ups to larger companies – located at the quayside  at the busy seaside town.

Developed by Arch, The Northumberland Development Company, which is an arm’s-length organisation set up by Northumberland County  Council, the contemporary low-energy building is located on an Enterprise Zone.

Hunter Douglas was commissioned to design and supply 223m2 of wood grill ceiling. The architect selected African Ayous, a richly toned wood that has an even-grained texture, and in module 4-70-15-45. It was Magma fire-treated, as standard.

Architect Robin Parsons at Xsite Architecture said the choice of ceiling for the space reflected a desire to continue the Scandinavian design cues used in the internal shopfitting, as well as provide a finish that could continue seamlessly from the external soffit through to the internal ceiling.

“In practical terms a demountable ceiling was required to provide access to services within the narrow ceiling void, and the slatted nature of the ceiling system helps with internal acoustics,” he said.

“These criteria led to the natural selection of the Hunter Douglas ceiling system, which we believe reflects the design intent and suits the building very well.”

Rob Grundy, of Hunter Douglas said: “The wood ceiling is integral to the entire design and forms the main feature of the interior space. Using wood is an excellent choice, being environmentally friendly choice, and it also provides a natural feel. The whole building is incredibly well designed and has a clean and modern look and our contemporary ceiling design adds warmth to the cool palette of white, yellow and aqua walls.”

The high-specification building, which was commended by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), comprises about 3,000m2 of floorspace, of which 1,950m2 is office space. It has a range of high-tech features that ensure occupants can work in a comfortable environment.

Achieving a BREEAM ‘Very Good’, the building was designed with a ‘Fabric First’ approach and is super insulated, air tight and has natural ventilation. There are also 9.2m2 of photovoltaic panels for electricity generation and ground source heat pumps for heating and cooling.

The architect said the choice of African Ayous for the ceiling complements the ‘Scandinavian’ quality of the interior joinery and finishes, which includes tonally similar birch ply, and provides a stylish and contemporary alternative to more traditional ceiling finishes.

“From a technical perspective, the space behind the wood grill contains various services, including a naturally aspirated fire detection system, which requires open air movement to the space below, and the possibility of removing ceiling sections for maintenance access,” he said.

“No absorbent padding was used, but the additional acoustic dispersion provided by the Hunter Douglas was one of the reasons it was selected.”

Hunter Douglas prides itself on using the finest quality wood in its ceiling systems. The entire process – from taking the raw  timber to completing the ceiling system – uses the latest computer-controlled machinery and closest supervision to ensure a product of the highest quality.