Suspended ceiling

A suspended ceiling is built a little below the actual concrete or timber floor above, leaving a void in between. Hangers and a grid of carrier profiles hold panels of plasterboard, metal, timber or mineral fibre. The void takes ventilation ducts, electrical runs, sprinkler pipes and recessed light fittings. In Turkish it is asma tavan.

Common types

Homes usually get a jointless plasterboard ceiling. It reads as one continuous surface, and stepped edges with concealed lighting are easy to form. Offices and shops more often use lay-in tile ceilings, because any panel can be lifted out when someone needs to reach the services above. Timber slat and metal grid ceilings add a decorative layer and, with an absorbent backing, help with acoustics too.

Practical points

• A suspended ceiling reduces clear room height, so where floor-to-floor height is tight a partial or stepped ceiling may be the better answer.
• Access hatches for valves, dampers and junctions should be planned from the start.
• Lights, diffusers and sprinkler heads look tidy only when they are coordinated on one reflected ceiling plan.

In interior renders the ceiling is the part of the frame most often neglected. A recessed cove with hidden light or a neatly aligned row of downlights carries the whole lighting concept, and a correctly modelled ceiling lets light spread softly and believably.