materials and design technologies for: exhibitions, commercial and business center, cinemas, events, restaurants, museums and galleries
How to use lighting equipment with ceilings made of «architectural» paper.
Ceiling systems made of non-flammable nonwoven material, which we commonly call «architectural paper», always offer a rich choice for architects and designers, due to their diversity and individuality. In fact, you are the author of each project. But in order for us to really be able to reproduce the ceiling system as closely as possible to your idea, you need to know some of the features in their design. In this article we will talk about how to combine light and our design ceilings.
The main evaluation criterion is the working height of the ceiling.
We divide ceilings up to 600 mm, 1200 mm and more than 1200 mm.
For example, the honeycomb® cellular ceiling, wave ceiling® and drop stripe® we can use in working heights up to 60 cm, up to 120 cm - this list includes the suspended ceiling Drop Gondola®.
But with excessive potential height, more than 1200mm, we usually work with only one Drop Stripe® system. But this should not upset you, because it is the most diverse in its design possibilities ceiling.
After choosing the ceiling system, the next step is to evaluate the room’s destination, and as a result you already have an idea of the required minimum standard lighting depending on the type of room. This information is available for free on the web, we will not stop there. At this stage you realize that if you’re working on a jewelry store project, the minimum lighting level of the store starts with 1,000 lux, and if we design a clothing store, the minimum requirements are 300 lux.
We think this should be the starting point in choosing a lamp that you will use with our paper ceilings. For example, with low-altitude capabilities and using the Honeycomb® cellular ceiling, you can place lights in a space above the ceiling, above our decorative system. These can be square or linear lamps of the most popular brands, reliable and simple. Consider one feature, the light absorption coefficient of our Drop Paper® depending on the material density from 25 to 45%. Therefore, you need to make an adjustment for the number of «hidden» above the designer ceiling of the lamps taking this fact into account. Do not be afraid to make a lot of light, in case they are combined with lamellae from architectural paper, it is better to lay down a little ceiling than to leave it unworn. When you design the placement of lamps in the ceiling area and want to get a evenly lit ceiling, consider the angle of scattering of the lighting devices used to avoid unlit areas! And share our life-time: try to have a distance from the lamp, located above the decorative ceiling, to the top edge of the lamp is at least 20 cm. This will increase the scattering angle and illuminate a large part of the ceiling surface with architectural paper, avoiding untreated areas.
If you design a Honeycomb® ceiling, you can use two kinds of lighting fixtures: common basic lighting in the ceiling space combined with local lighting, such as bar tables or restaurant that you can easily use, Passing the cable inside the snail. And if the size of the lamp is small, it can be placed inside the hundred at the level of the lower edge of the decorative ceiling. With a cell size of maximum 22 cm, you can use spots up to 10 cm in diameter, integrating them inside the cell itself. As you can see, there are enough options. And that’s what we looked at, just one system!
Drop Stripe® is a good match for linear lamps that are placed between or above the lamellas. Only be sure to use the lens so that the light does not hit in the eyes of visitors who want to see better the lamella ceiling above their head. In some projects we light each lamp, in others - the lamps are placed with rhythm 1 to 3 (1 lamp, 2 lamps pass). Here the important factor is the distance between lamellas: if the distance is about 40 cm, then you need to illuminate each lamp. Remember the light absorption ratio from the last paragraph!
Drop Stripe® can be combined with a stylish pendant lamp under the slats. We often see these solutions.
LED strips with diffusers - a great opportunity to program scripted lighting solutions: do you need the effect of northern lights? Or the crossing of multicolored waves? This is all possible in our joint work with your light equipment contractors on site.
Paralume® offers to hide the potions within yourself, giving your form an architectural rhythm and you get a luminous art object...
The special feature of the Wave ceiling® is that it is created directly on site and the attachment takes place to the grid. Any light equipment can be installed over this grid in sufficient rated lighting, adjusted for the material’s light absorption factor. In the end, your eye will be hidden light equipment, you get a perfect luminous ceiling!
