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The ever-expanding “green” movement has proven to be one
of the most influential trends in the history of American building
and design, positioning sustainability as the predominant focus on
many of today’s design projects. One of the many components of
a building where green design can be emphasized is in the ceiling
system. By taking adequate time to research and select the greenest
ceiling panels for a project, a designer can accumulate
certification points from the U.S. Green Building Council’s
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program,
while providing a ceiling system with long-lasting performance and
visual appeal. In this article, we will cover the two most
important attributes of a sustainable ceiling panel — recycled
and recyclable content, and low-density material.
Recycled and Recyclable Content
All sustainable ceiling panels must have generous recycled content
and also be recyclable at the end of their lifetime. Sustainable
ceiling panels typically include both types of recycled content in
their manufacturing: pre-consumer and post-consumer. The most
frequently used pre-consumer material used in the manufacturing of
sustainable ceilings is recycled steel slag and the most common
post-consumer used is recycled newspaper pulp. To set recycled
content standards, LEED points are based on a formula that measures
the overall recycled content of a product by taking half the
percentage of pre-consumer recycled content and adding it to the
full percentage of post-consumer recycled content. The minimal
amount LEED allows for sustainable ceiling panel status, and the
level that most sustainable ceiling products on the market today
attain, is 50 percent.
Another key consideration is selecting a ceiling panel that can be
recycled and reused after its life cycle ends. Most major ceiling
products manufacturers offer recycling programs, where they will
pick up discarded ceiling panels from installation sites. The old
panels are usually transported to a ceilings manufacturing plant,
where they are broken down with water into slurry. The slurry is
used to supplement virgin material in the manufacturing of new
ceiling panels.
“Whenever we can get recyclable post-consumer content from a
jobsite, it’s a tremendous plus,” says Kyle Watts, Plant
Manager for CertainTeed ceilings manufacturing
plant in Meridian. “This is really a win-win situation for
everybody. We need the raw materials, and the customer needs to get
rid of their old ceiling panels. This also benefits the environment
because any large commercial project can represent several thousand
square feet of disposed ceiling panels that, if not recycled, would
be taking up space in a landfill.” Many manufacturers also
offer similar jobsite recycling for disposed metal ceiling grids,
gypsum wallboard and carpeting.
Low-density Ceiling Materials
The next step in evaluating ceiling panels is determining which
material will give the most sustainable performance. When
specifying ceiling panels for a project that requires sustainable
design, always aim for products that have a lower-density, such as
fiberglass. Fiberglass ceiling panels are lighter than traditional
mineral fiber ceiling panels and are also very resistant to
moisture. Because of their heavier weight, most mineral fiber
ceiling panels will often succumb to gravity over time and show
visible sag. In addition, they also tend to absorb moisture,
leading to the potential discoloration or mold growth that
generally induces many property owners to replace their ceilings
every seven to eight years. Fiberglass ceiling panels, however,
have a significantly longer life.
Sustainable ceiling products are a common-sense choice in
today’s building and design world, as more and more building
owners learn the value of sustainability. Sustainable ceilings are
sure to be influencing green design from above for many years to
come.
Robert Marshall's career in the acoustic ceiling business has
spanned more than 30 years in many different capacities. He has
worked as an installer, estimator, contractor, distributor,
technical consultant and manufacturer's representative. Mr.
Marshall is currently the Marketing Technical Services Manager
for CertainTeed Ceilings.
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