4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealth
andwellbeing
4April2016

ThisCPDfocusesonkeyaspectsofahealthyworkingenvironment,astheyrelatetothedesignandspecificationof
suspendedceilingtiles.ItissponsoredbyArmstrongCeilings

Howtotakethismodule
UBMsCPDdistancelearningprogrammeisopentoanyoneseekingtodeveloptheir
knowledgeandskills.Eachmodulealsooffersmembersofprofessionalinstitutionsan
opportunitytoearnbetween30and90minutesofcreditstowardstheirannualCPD
requirement.

ThisarticleisaccreditedbytheCPDCertificationService.ToearnCPDcredits,readthe
articleandthenclickthelinkbelowtocompleteyourdetailsandanswerthequestions.You
willreceiveyourresultsinstantly,andifallthequestionsarecorrectlyanswered,youwillbeabletodownload
yourCPDcertificatestraightaway.

CPDCREDITS:60MINUTES

DEADLINE:20MAY2016

ArmstrongCeilingsmetalVP500baffleswere
installedattheNationalBiologicsManufacturing
CentreinDarlingtontoperformarangeoffunctions
suchasprovidingaccess,ventilationandacousticinsulation

ThismoduleissponsoredbyArmstrong
Ceilings

INTRODUCTION
Thereisanincreasingawarenessofhowthedesignofbuildingsimpactsthehealthandwellbeingofoccupantsand
theirproductivity,andagrowingbodyofevidencewhichsupportsinvestmentinusercentreddesigntoimprove
internalenvironments.

Accordingtoareportpublishedin2014bytheWorldGreenBuildingCouncil,Health,WellbeingandProductivityin
OfficesTheNextChapterforGreenBuilding,atypicalbusinessmightspend1%ofitsoperationalbudgeton
energyand9%onrentforitspremises,butstaffsalariesandbenefitsaccountforasmuchas90%.

Thereforea10%variationineachareawillhaveaverydifferentimpactonthetotal:

A10%variationinenergycostswillaffectthetotalby+/0.1%
A10%variationinrentalcostswillaffectthetotalby+/0.9%
http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 1/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

A10%variationinstaffcostswillaffectthetotalby+/9%

Thereisthereforeastrongbusinesscaseforimprovingproductivity
evenasmallincreasecanmakeasignificantimprovementtothe
corporatebottomline.

Forits2014WellbeingatWorkstudy,theBritishCouncilforOffices
collectedfeedbackfromnearly2000officeworkersabouttheir
workplaceconditionsandidentifiedthefollowingmainirritants:toonoisyinopenplan,alackofnaturallightand
freshair,alackofcolour,nocontrolovertemperature,awkwarddesign,norelaxationareas,toomanypeople
walkingpast,clutter.Onapositivenote,itfoundthat74%believedthattheirworkenvironmentsupportedtheir
physicallywellbeing.But26%saidthattheacousticsoftheirofficewereunpleasant,withthreequartersof
complainantsblamingthisonanoisyopenplanenvironment.Afurtherquarter(27%)werefrustratedbyalackof
privacy.

ThisCPDwillfocusonkeyaspectsofahealthyworkingenvironment,astheyrelatetothedesignandspecification
ofsuspendedceilingtiles.

At85GracechurchStreet,anAxiomacousticcanopyceilingfromArmstrongwasspecified,alongwithAxal
Vectortiles

INDOORAIRQUALITY
Poorairqualityhaswellestablishedimplicationsforthehealthofofficeoccupants,andtheWGBCreportalsocites
anumberofstudiesthathavelinkedtheprovisionoffreshairtoproductivity.Onemeasureofairqualityisthelevel
ofCO2,whichcanbuildupintheatmospherewherethereisinsufficientventilation.Anotheristhepresenceof
pollutantssuchasvolatileorganiccompounds(VOCs),ozoneandallergenswhichmaybeemittedoroffgassedby
http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 2/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

buildingmaterials,furnishings,officeequipmentandcleaningproducts.

Providinggreaterfloortoceilingheightscanimproveairquality.Thegreatertheheightavailableabovethe
occupantsbreathingzone,thegreaterthespaceavailableforstratificationie,atemperaturegradient,which
createsairmovementandsupportsbetterventilation.Thiscanalsoimproveusersperceptionsofthespaceandthe
supplyofnaturallight.

Itisimportantnotonlytoensureagoodsupplyoffreshairthroughventilation,buttominimisepollutantsatsource
byavoidingmaterialsthatproducethem.Volatileorganiccompounds(VOCs)suchasformaldehydearechemicals
commonlyusedtoproducebuildingmaterials,furnishings,fittings,adhesivesandsealants.VOCsareresponsible
forthesmellofafreshlypaintedroomornewlyinstalledcarpet,thoughnotallVOCsortoxinshaveanoticeable
odour.Itcantakemonthsoryearsforthecompoundstocompletelyoffgasandtheycanpersistlongaftertheir
smellfades.

Therearelongestablishedlinksbetweenbuildingmaterialsandhumanhealth,fromtheformaldehydefoundin
particleboardtotheasthmagensfoundinsometypesofpaint,flooringandinteriorfinishes.Fortunately,products
suchaslowandnoVOCpaintandgreencertifiedfurnishingsandotherfitoutcomponentsareavailable.

SpecifyinglowornoVOCceilingtiles
FormaldehydeemissionsaremeasuredaspartofCEmarkingforceilingtiles,whichhasbeenaprerequisitefor
productsmarketedwithintheEuropeanUnionsinceJuly2013,undertheEUConstructionProductsRegulation.
ProductsmaybeclassifiedE2(highemissions)orE1(lowemissions).E1isthereforetheclassificationforthe
lowestlevelofformaldehydeemissions.

EnvironmentalProductDeclarations(EPDs)alsoaddanimportantelementoftransparency.AnEPDisan
assessmentofthelifecycleimpactsofaproduct,inarangeofcategoriesincludingclimatechange,water
extraction,mineralresourceextraction,humantoxicity,ecotoxicitytofreshwaterandland,andwastedisposal.While

http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 3/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

anEPDdoesnotdirectlyassesstheimpactonindoorairquality,itprovidesaninventoryofthematerialsusedin
themanufactureofaproduct,whichcanhelptodemonstratethatitwillnothaveanegativeimpactontheinternal
environment.

Carefulspecificationofbuildingmaterialsthatdonotproducepollutantscanearncreditsunderenvironmentalrating
systems.UnderBREEAMUKNewConstruction2014,sectionHea02relatestoindoorairquality.Uptofourcredits
areavailableforminimisingsourcesofairpollution,includingtworelatingtominimisingVOCsinproductsandin
postconstruction.Forsuspendedceilingtiles,thiscanbeachievedbyspecifyingproductswithaformaldehyde
classificationofE1.TherelevantstandardisBSEN13964:2014SuspendedceilingsRequirementsandtest
methods.

Alternatively,productsmaybetestedundereither:

BSENISO160009:2006IndoorairPart9:Determinationoftheemissionofvolatileorganiccompounds
frombuildingproductsandfurnishingEmissiontestchambermethod
Standardmethodforthetestingandevaluationofvolatileorganicchemicalemissionsfromindoorsources
usingenvironmentalchambers,version1.1EmissiontestingmethodforCaliforniaSpecification01350,
CalifornianDepartmentforPublicHealth,2010.

Foreithermethodtheresultsmustbeextrapolatedtopredicttheemissionsinatheoreticalmodelroom,and
comparedwiththerequiredformaldehydelevelof0.1mg/m.

TheM1classificationsystem,developedbytheFinnishSocietyofIndoorAirandClimate(FiSIAQ),alsosetsout
emissionsrequirementsforbuildingmaterials,fixturesandfurnitureusedinworkspacesandhomes.The
classificationdividesbuildingmaterialsintothreecategories,ofwhichM1isthebestandM3theworst.

ArmstrongCeilingsCoolZonetilesincorporatingphasechangematerialswereinstalledtohelpmaintainastable

http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 4/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

temperatureattheBristolRoyalInfirmarywithoutadditionalcooling

THERMALCOMFORTANDPHASECHANGEMATERIALS
TheWGBCreportcitesanumberofstudiesthathavelinkedthermalcomfortwithofficeproductivity.Forexample,a
2006metaanalysisof24studiesontherelationshipbetweentemperatureandperformanceindicateda10%
reductioninperformanceatboth30Cand15Ccomparedwithabaselineof2123C.

Ceilingtilescansupportthermalcomfortinofficespacesbyincorporatingphasechangematerials(PCMs)which
providelightweightthermalmass.APCMisasubstancethatrequiresarelativelylargeamountofheattochangeits
statefromasolidtoaliquid,andwhichisthereforecapableofstoringandreleasinglargeamountsofenergy.For
useinbuildings,theyaretypicallycontainedinacassettethatisembeddedinawallorsuspendedceilingtile.As
withthermalmassinstoneorconcrete,whentemperaturesriseduringtheday,heatisabsorbedintothematerial,
helpingtomaintainacomfortabletemperaturewithinthespace,andtherebypreventingoverheating.Thebenefitof
PCMsoverthermallymassivematerialsisthattheyarefarlighter,storingrelativelylargeamountsofheatperunitof
volume.Tocreatethesamethermalcapacityas3cmthickplasterboardcontaining30%PCMswouldrequire14cm
ofconcreteor18cmofbricks.

Becausehotairrises,usingPCMsinceilingtilesisparticularlyeffective.Atypicalofficespacewillheatup
throughouttheday,duetotheheatproducedbypeople,lightingandofficeequipment.Oncetheroomtemperature
reachesthePCMsetpointof24C,itbeginstomelt.AnyexcessheatisabsorbedbythePCMuntilithasmelted
completely.Atypicalspecification,where50%oftheceilingtilescontainsPCM,willmaintainthetemperatureat
24Cforupto45hoursinanaverageofficeenvironment.Thisreducestheneedforairconditioningandhelpsto
maintainacomfortableeventemperature.Whenthespacecoolsintheevening,thePCMgraduallycoolsand
solidifiesoncemore,emittingthestoredheatintothespace.Thiscanberemovedwithnightventilationor
transferredbackintotheroominwinter,ensuringthatitisatacomfortableworkingtemperaturefirstthinginthe
morning.

http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 5/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

FortheParsonsTowerrefurbishmentatNewcastleCollege,RedBoxArchitecturespecifiedarangeofproducts
fromArmstrongCeilings,includingtheOptimaLcanopy

ACOUSTICS
Excessivenoiseisacommoncompliantamongofficeworkers,particularlyinopenplanspaces.Accordingtothe
WGBCreport,a1998studyfoundthatperformanceinamemorytaskdroppedbyupto66%whenparticipantswere
exposedtodifferenttypesofbackgroundnoise.

Ceilingtilespecificationplaysakeyroleinacoustics,andappropriatedesignsolutionswilldependonhowanareais
tobeused.Dividinganofficespacewithfurniture,partitionsandacousticalpanelscanhelptocreatezonesof
differentacousticperformanceandlisteningconditionswithinthesameworkspace.

Areasdesignedforcollaborationbetweenteamsofworkersarelikelytobeopenplanandintelligibilityofspeechis
key.Therewillbeaneedformoderateacousticseparationbetweendifferentgroups,andsignificantacoustic
separationfromfocusareasandprivacyareas.Here,ceilingrafts,canopiesandverticalbafflesareappropriate
solutionstocomplementfurnituresystemswithinandbetweenareas.Productswithahighsoundabsorptionwillaid
speechintelligibility.

Inopenplanareasdesignedformorefocusedconcentration,itisimportanttominimisetransferofsoundinall
directions.Appropriatesolutionsincludeproductsthatoffermidtohighabsorptionso,mediumtolowdensity
materialsthathelptobreakupandabsorbthenumberofsoundreflectionstocontrollisteningconditionsandprevent
unwanteddistractions.

Soundabsorptionismeasuredinalphaw( w),representingtheweightedsoundabsorptioncoefficient.Thisisa
singlenumberratingdeterminedinaccordancewithBSENISO11654.Thederived wvaluewillvarybetween0.00

http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 6/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

and1.00butisonlyexpressedinmultiplesof0.05.Ceilingsthatperformbetween0.60 wand1.0 w,or60100%

soundabsorption,aremostusefulintheseareas.Moderatetohighfurnituresystemsorpanelscouldalsobeused
toblocksoundtransfer,andelectronicsoundmaskingmaybespecified.

Knowledgeworkersinopenplanspacesmayalsoneedmoreclosedprivacyareaswheretheycanholdconfidential
discussionswithoutbeingoverheard.Inthesespaces,designersshouldconsiderceilingsthatofferhighattenuation
andmoderateabsorption,highattenuationwalls,andelectronicsoundmasking.Soundattenuationisameasureofa
materialsabilitytoblocksoundfrompassingthroughit.Inthecaseofceilings,thisrelatestothesoundpassing
throughintotheceilingvoid,overapartitionandbackthroughtheceilingintoaneighbouringroom.Itismeasuredin
decibels(dB),correspondingtothelevelofsoundreductionlevelthatamaterialcancontribute.Atypical
performanceforaceilingtilewouldbe3040dB.

VISUALCOMFORT
Studieshaverepeatedlyshownthatofficeworkerspreferspaceswithhighlevelsofnaturallight.

TheWGBCreportalsocitesevidencelinkingthistohealth,wellbeingandproductivity.Forexample,a2013studyby
neuroscientistssuggestedthatofficeworkerssittingbywindowssleptanaverageof46minutesmorepernightthan
colleagueswithoutwindows.

Providinglargewindowsincreasesthesupplyofdaylightinaspaceandhelpsoccupantstofeelconnectedtothe
outside.Increasingthelightreflectanceoffittingssuchasceilingtilesalsomaximisestheuseofnaturaldaylightin
largeopenplanspaces,andcanreducetheamountofartificiallightingrequiredindeeperareasofthefloororwithin
cubicles.

Lightreflectanceistheamountoflightstrikingasurfacethatisreflectedbackintothespace.

Asthelightreflectancevalue(LRV)increases,theamountoflightthatisabsorbedbytheceilingdecreasessoa
ceilingwithanLRVof0.90reflects90%ofthelightthathitsitbackintothespaceandabsorbsonly10%.Indirect
lightingallowsdesignerstotakefulladvantageofceilingswithhighLRVs,andalsolimitsglare.

AccordingtofiguresfromTheWeidtGroup,anenergyconsultant,whenthelightreflectancevalue(LRV)ofaceiling
isincreasedfrom0.75to0.89,daylightlevelsforspaces46metresawayfromthewindowareincreasedby15%to
20%.Theareaofwindowglazingcanbereducedby11%,whichalsoreducesheatingandcoolingcosts.

Howtotakethismodule
UBMsCPDdistancelearningprogrammeisopentoanyoneseekingtodeveloptheir
knowledgeandskills.Eachmodulealsooffersmembersofprofessionalinstitutionsan
opportunitytoearnbetween30and90minutesofcreditstowardstheirannualCPD
requirement.

ThisarticleisaccreditedbytheCPDCertificationService.ToearnCPDcredits,readthe
articleandthenclickthelinkbelowtocompleteyourdetailsandanswerthequestions.You
willreceiveyourresultsinstantly,andifallthequestionsarecorrectlyanswered,youwillbeabletodownload
yourCPDcertificatestraightaway.

CPDCREDITS:60MINUTES

DEADLINE:20MAY2016

Privacypolicy
InformationyousupplytoUBMInformationLtdmaybeusedforpublicationandalsotoprovideyouwith

http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 7/8
4/22/2016 CPD82016:Specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing|OnlineFeatures|Building

informationaboutourproductsorservicesintheformofdirectmarketingbyemail,telephone,faxorpost.
Informationmayalsobemadeavailabletothirdparties.UBMInformationLtdmaysendupdatesaboutBuilding
CPDandotherrelevantUBMproductsandservices.Byprovidingyouremailaddressyouconsenttobeing
contactedbyemailbyUBMInformationLtdorotherthirdparties.Ifatanytimeyounolongerwishtoreceive
anythingfromUBMInformationLtdortohaveyourdatamadeavailabletothirdparties,contacttheData
ProtectionCoordinator,UBMInformationLtd,FREEPOSTLON15637,Tonbridge,TN91BR,Freephone0800279
0357oremailubmidpa@ubm.com.Viewourfullprivacypolicyatwww.building.co.uk/cpd

MarketplaceRecommendations

StandingSeamRoofs BespokeRooflights LondonNHSTrust ClancyBuilding

Appraisal

AdsPoweredwith

0 Like 0
Follow@buildingnews 70.3Kfollowers

LATESTCASESTUDIES
ZigZagaccess Sadolinshows Omnisprofilesat
zippedupwith versatilityat GrandeLarge
TORMAX flagshipbirdhide waterfront
development

ReadMore ReadMore ReadMore

http://www.building.co.uk/professional/cpd/cpd82016specifyingsuspendedceilingsforhealthandwellbeing/5081032.article 8/8