Retail Areas
Ceilings offer an opportunity to play an important role in terms of acoustics. In a retail environment, noise absorption is the prime factor. Not to mention banking establishments, where a quite atmosphere is preferred. To choose the right tile for a retail area, acoustic requirements such as sound attenuation and sound absorption need to be considered.
In an establishment open to the public fire reaction and fire resistance properties of suspended ceilings are of critical importance.
Nothing is more disruptive than an area in a shop closed off while a leak or an electrical problem is being repaired. Hence the importance of demountability of the ceiling, which also means the décor can be arranged or regularly freshened up.
Another key factor contributing to the functional efficiency and attractiveness of sales premises is sign posting, helping the customers to find their way round the aisles. The correct choice of a ceiling suspension system will provide maximum flexibility and mobility, enabling you to change the space and move partitions when necessary.
The Armstrong i-ceilings range of sound panels utilises the revolutionary new loudspeaker technology NXT. Unlike conventional ‘cone’ speakers which operate with a piston-like action, NXT technology introduces resonant vibrations to the entire surface of a lightweight flat panel via an electronic transducer system.
In effect, the panel within the ceiling is vibrating in much the same way as a piano or acoustic guitar. Like these musical instruments, new technology i-ceiling panels generate highly diffuse and disperse sound energy (similar in nature to the light emitted from a fluorescent lamp).
Sound, therefore, is radiated in all directions to ensure highly intelligible voice and music reproduction and even sound density over the area covered. This is very different to the results of a conventional piston-like cone speaker, which can cause highly directional and often unintelligible speech in large open spaces.
i-ceilings provide an ideal audio solution in high street retail and supermarket environment, benefiting from highly intelligible evenly dispersed sound reproduction via a completely ‘invisible’ loudspeaker. In-store audio advertising and messaging clarity is unparalleled in all areas where coverage is required, ensuring more positive response to promotional campaigns. i-ceilings unique ‘invisible’ characteristics not only ensure perfect interior finish, but also make identification of loudspeakers all but impossible, reducing the possibility of theft or damage.
The ceiling space occupies on average 30%-40% of the retail environment and hosts a variety of applications and services. Signage and other promotional materials hanging from the ceiling plane are often missed or not fully understood due to crowded retail interiors. Clean, fresh looking ceilings with integrated technology provide another way to reduce these distracting effects, whilst increasing the strength of the marketing message.
Therefore, the benefits of i-ceilings are: greatly increased intelligibility of audio marketing campaigns, uncompromised corporate interiors and flexible design and positioning.
Further details about the type of false ceilings most appropriate for retail areas may be found here.