Hunter Douglas replaces its decades-old original ceiling in listed building

Hunter Douglas Architectural was called on to supply a replacement ceiling at a Grade II listed building – decades after it supplied the original.

The ceiling at Middleton Hall, an events space in centre:mk, the modernist shopping building in Milton Keynes, had to be replaced when centre owner Hermes needed to upgrade the corroding fire system that had been in place for about 40 years.

Listed in 2010, the owner, Milton Keynes Council and Historic England spent about 18 months to create a ceiling that respected the integrity of the modernist building while also ensuring that it met stringent 21st century fire regulations.

Hunter Douglas, the global architectural products company, was specified to supply 950m2 of Tavola baffles, which replaced the original Luxalon ceiling. Tavola baffles are ideal for visually reducing room height while maintaining original room volume and are particularly effective at diffusing daylight or artificial light entering from above.

Prized because it is a lightweight system, the Tavola Levels Baffle ceiling is a floating system that comprises box-shaped panels. They are provided with black non-woven tissue glued over the whole perforated area and are available in a wide range of materials, colours and designs, including wood décor and steel.

The baffles are made to measure and available in any length up to 4000m. For this particular project, the design called for 50mm x 500mm baffles in ral 9010 (pure white) in 500mm module.

Jonathan Rice, senior designer at Rawls, which designed the new ceiling, said using 500mm deep baffles gave the impression of a full ceiling but with the benefit of a flexible, open design.

“It was incredibly complex to get the co-ordination of the new sprinklers above the slats and maintain the same height as the original ceiling, which was a planning requirement within the Listed Building Consent,” he said.

The Hunter Douglas TavolaTM Baffle was ideally suited to Middleton Hall: “We wanted something in keeping with the ethos and minimal design palette of the original design, but that would allow greater flexibility for events in the space.

“The design kept the same format as the existing ceiling with five bays around the structure of the building. It was great to be able to use a Hunter Douglas product as that the original ceiling was also a Hunter Douglas Luxalon product.”

Juliette Halliday, national sales manager at Hunter Douglas Architectural, said: “As we’d originally installed the ceiling, it was good that we continued our association with Middleton Hall.

“The scheme required large, deep baffles, which the Tavola system was ideally suited for. The Hunter Douglas baffles systems provide designers with maximum creative opportunities and because we can supply our ceilings in an array of colours and finishes, it is easy to create a dramatic finish.”

Baffle ceiling systems are designed to mask the plenum, they also provide easy access for the efficient installation and maintenance of climate control, audio, lighting and fire sprinkler systems.

They meet fire classification plain A2,s1,d0 according en 13501-1.