French ceiling manufacturer Barrisol - Normalu SAS was included in Archello’s list of 25 best suspended ceiling manufacturers. The company’s Barrisol Light stretched and illuminated ceilings line was used by MIA Design Studio, a Vietnamese architecture and interior design practice, in "Mr Green’s Office".
Mr Green’s Office is located in a high-rise office building in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s most populous city. MIA Design Studio’s approach to the project offers an escape from Ho Chi Minh City’s dense urban core. With the rapid development of urban areas, green spaces are increasingly supplanted by high-rise buildings. MIA Design Studio is concerned that Vietnam's urban areas are losing their green spaces — Mr Green’s Office therefore provided the studio with the opportunity to incorporate ecological design principles within a large concrete office building.
Located on the office building’s 14th floor, Mr Green’s Office is arranged “inside a garden” with features that include: a small bonsai garden to greet visitors in the reception area; an abundance of vegetation that surrounds a lounge and meeting space; and a “pond” in the director’s office. An especially notable feature is the use of Barrisol Light’s stretched and illuminated ceiling system. This architectural lighting feature enhances the notion of an “outdoor office”, something that MIA Design Studio wished to achieve through the project.
A Barrisol stretched ceiling is a non-flammable sheet made in PVC. The Barrisol Light stretched and illuminated ceiling system uses a translucent sheet and a light source (fluorescent tube, LED, or fiber optics) to offer a uniform diffusion of light — the effect ranges from bright, full day to a relaxing ambience. All components are fully recyclable. Barrisol explains that its Barrisol Light “provides architects with a blank canvas to create bespoke illuminated surfaces adapted to any shape or size, including 3D forms — the diffusion material is capable of extending up to 50 square meters (538 square feet) in a single piece allowing for truly monolithic lighting features.” The lighting system’s options include: “acoustic micro-perforations, printing effects, and HVAC integration through the material’s thermal radiation properties.”
The Barrisol Light stretched and illuminated ceiling system is extremely adaptable. Barrisol explains: “it is available in over 20 different translucent finishes with almost 100 profiles to accommodate any design choice.” The qualitative impact on mood and ambiance is a key aspect — “dynamic white LEDs with varying kelvin color temperatures, for example, can be mixed to provide a soothing and relaxing environment following circadian rhythms or in the same instance, a more controlled, brighter light for optimum working conditions,” says Barrisol.
MIA Design Studio chose to use the Barrisol Light in its Mr Green’s Office project “to create an outdoor atmosphere for the interior.” The studio explains that “transforming our space — the entirety of the lounge and meeting area — with the Barrisol Light stretched and illuminated ceiling, brings the outdoors inside. In essence, we created a light and green haven within the mass concrete building."
The Mr Green’s Office project employs the Barrisol Light in conjunction with the Barrisol Mirror® - reflective membranes. “Light is an essential part of where we live, work, and play, providing the fundamental building blocks for design. Barrisol Light can help to enhance objects and spaces within buildings whilst Barrisol Mirror® deepens that experience by augmenting light and space, offering perfect product synergy,” explains Barrisol. “The Barrisol Mirror® product utilizes a reflective film that is applied to the stretched membrane surface and fixed onto an aluminum frame. This makes the system lightweight and easily demountable without the risk of shattering.” For MIA Design Studio, the Barrisol Mirror® “offered a smart solution for a reflective surface on the ceiling, one that is light and safe to use.”
This article is part of Archello's 25 best manufacturers series.
