Bespoke ceiling elements for new school library
SAS International recently collaborated with Woods Bagot, Beard Construction and third party supplier Parklex, to bring design-led ceilings to the new two-storey library at St Mary’s School in Calne, Wiltshire.
To achieve the desired striking look, architects Woods Bagot chose Parklex’s perforated natural wood finish for the uniquely styled ceiling panels. SAS developed a soffit cladding system to fix the facing panels to an aluminium backing panel, which are then suspended from the SAS primary grid, creating the intriguing inverted pyramid shapes.
“The nature of the inverted pyramid structure, with its differing angles and levels meant giving careful consideration to how each panel was to be suspended,” explains SAS’ Project Manager Sean Hermanson.
“This meant it was critical that all bracketry and first fix grid work was set out and installed in precise positions to enable perfect alignment.”
The challenge was fixing the Parklex panel to the SAS aluminium backing panel. To overcome this, SAS worked closely with Parklex on developing fixing methods from previous projects and trials during fabrication.
Any alignment issues that arose were solved through repeated in-depth surveys of all the steelwork and manoeuvring the ceiling system to achieve the best fit, eliminating any uneven gaps.
SAS were chosen for this project based on the ability to provide a bespoke service matching the architect’s design intent, and expertise on challenging ceiling solutions.
Debby Ray, Principal and Project Lead from Woods Bagot, comments: “We are over the moon to see this project come to life and cannot wait to hear how the students react to and engage with the space once they are back at school.
“This has certainly been a one-of-a-kind experience and we’ve enjoyed working so closely with not just the St Mary’s Calne School leadership team, but the students as well, to create a space that wholly reflects a passion for teaching and learning. We hope that this will be a hub for knowledge for generations to come!”
Education
Woods Bagot
Beard Construction
SAS Special Projects
2020
Bespoke Architectural Metal Work
350m2
United Kingdom