Hunter Douglas floating ceiling adorns the imposing Sir Ian Wood Building

The impressive £120 million Garthdee Campus development at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, enabled Hunter Douglas to showcase its ability to deliver simple, yet stunning products.

The globally renowned architectural products manufacturer was commissioned to design and manufacture 450 sq m circular floating ceiling in the impressive reception area at the Sir Ian Wood Building, which was opened by HRH Princess Royal in the summer of 2015.

The creation of a wood, open linear ceiling provides a natural feel within an ultra-modern building that is otherwise constructed from glass, hard masonry and cladding. Using multi-width module American Red Oak Linear Open ceiling system softens the overall look and complements the wood amphitheatre-style bench-style seating.

Rather than using a single standard width of solid wood, the architects, BDP of Glasgow, asked Hunter Douglas to provide three widths – 63mm, 90mm and 117mm – that gives depth and visual interest. The linear system comprised a 15mm gap with an overall module of 105mm average. The gaps were infilled with 15mm acoustic fleece.

The panels were finished on three sides with UV resistant varnish and were also treated with Magma fire treatment, ensuring that the ceiling achieved European fire class B-S2-D0 – the highest classification available for wood products.

Rob Grundy, of Hunter Douglas, said of the £65,000 ceiling project: “The idea was to create a floating ceiling and that in itself provides additional challenges such as ensuring that the suspension system, power cables and other services are suitably concealed.

“To ensure a pristine finish to the product, Allied Acoustics Ltd, the ceilings contractor created a black felt screen that conceals all the services behind it. The result was an extremely neat-looking ceiling, which also has several bespoke, concealed service hatches. For us, it was yet another successful project with BDP.”

Hunter Douglas has worked with the global architecture firm on a number of projects, including Union Square shopping mall in Aberdeen and the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre.

The project was also an example of how service integration is an important aspect of Hunter Douglas’s work, ensuring that air vents could also be included in the felt screening.

Hunter Douglas prides itself on using the finest quality wood for all its ceiling systems, using the latest computer-controlled machinery and closest supervision to ensure a product of the highest quality.

Named after the university’s chancellor, the Sir Ian Wood Building houses the university’s School of Engineering, School of Computing Science and Digital Media, and the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, plus its library and research institutes.