Our lightweight MaxiBeam System in a warm oak finish adorns the ceiling in a newly renovated 76,000 sq ft, multi-tenanted commercial office building in Bristol.
The design brief was to create a modern and welcoming reception space as well as an upgrade to lift core areas with the purpose of attracting new tenants to this centrally located office building. The ceiling design featured 40mm x 150mm MaxiBeams finished in a Warm Oak Supalami, FR Class 0, also incorporating a 12mm Black Acoustic Backing Board to provide further acoustic benefits.
It was very important for the MaxiBeam System to be fully demountable due to mechanical access requirements. Our Technical Team worked closely with the designers to ensure that both the backing and the beams can be removed. The backing board was specifically designed in a way where smaller sections could be removed at convenient locations – without the need to remove everything.
Each row of beams was 3m long. At the client’s request, we supplied this in 2 pieces at 1.5m long to make demounting even easier for routine access to M&E services. In addition, the lighting layouts added an extra layer of complication as it hung between the beams. so our Technical Team also worked with the installers to ensure the support work behind the beams worked around the lights. We provided detailed drawings including support works for these first-time MaxiBeam installers to ensure everything integrated seamlessly and there were no conflicts with lighting and the removable MaxiBeam System. Detailed installation drawings and instructions were provided. Our unique Click Fix method is specifically designed with ease of installation in mind and it made the process as simple as possible – as well as making the beams easy to remove in the future. The installers were very happy with the process and end results too: “Everyone loves the ceiling.”
The previous reception space was dated in appearance and functionally didn’t accommodate the current reception needs. The design team expertly planned the reception space providing a new tea point, post area and more prominent, welcoming reception desk adjacent to the main entrance doors. A new banquette area was also built in to provide visitors and tenants an informal meeting space. The application of warm and modern materials such as the moss wall, timber floor and MaxiBeam ceiling baffles provided a sleek and contemporary feel as well as functionally aiding the acoustics to the busy reception space. Externally, the glazed reception “pod” received an uplift with new external paving, large-scale directional graphics and branding.
The designer said:
“Vtec were instrumental in helping us achieve the feature ceiling by working with the existing constraints of the ceiling and mechanical services. The attention to detail and design service to provide a clear set of drawings for the contractor to install was excellent.”
