The Atrium, a 10,000 square foot wood wave wall grille, is a perfect example of a successful design under an extremely demanding schedule.

The wood grilles form the walls of a large, 7-story central atrium in an innovative office building in British Columbia. The architect summarized the space well: “The atrium is the heart of the building. It’s a semi-public urban ‘room’. We chose wood to give it a sense of welcome that would be perceptible from the street.”

The wall grilles are the most visually striking aspect of the atrium. The grilles are comprised of 5/8” x 1” western hemlock members. The relatively tight 3/8” reveal between members emphasizes the wood, while still allowing the grilles to curve to match the atrium’s undulating shape. The reveals between members also create a high noise transfer coefficient, which allows for acoustic material set behind the grille to control the acoustics of the vast open space. “The grilles are part of the acoustic strategy. We worked with an acoustical engineer to design those walls,” added the architect.

What is truly remarkable about the project is the speed with which it was accomplished: From submittals to full install in less than 4 months. The many challenges to overcome included specially designing a flexible metal backer for the grille, procuring the wood in only two weeks, and manufacturing each panel for a precise fit to save time on field-cutting. A last-minute fire code problem meant shaving the grille members down to 1” depth from 1 3/8”, necessitating the design of a special fastener that wouldn’t split the wood.

This level of precision, combined with a highly skilled installer and a well-designed product produced fantastic results. As one of the project managers for the installer recalled, “The product was amazing. It’s got to be the best project I’ve ever worked on.” This was made possible by good coordination and flexibility on the part of the supply chain, the designer, the manufacturer, and the installer. The result is an exciting and beautiful new building.

*Rustic Douglas Fir is hard to come by and may not be available if you desire this look. Of the three images, the “Rustic” Douglas Fir is used on the ceiling to wall transition with the Pickle Finish.

Rustic species are solid wood species that include knotty figures and dramatic character. While typically knots and dramatic character are graded out of our production processes, we recommend contacting 9Wood before specifying. We have seen the popularity of rustic species decline over the last decade and instead clear, more uniform grain species have become the norm.

The two solid species we will recommend if at all possible is either Rustic Western Hemlock and Rustic Douglas Fir.

Designing a 282,000SF world headquarters is a monumental task in itself, but making such a large space feel warm and “homey” is an altogether different challenge. Baker Design Group was tasked by TripAdvisor for such an undertaking for their new HQ in Needham, MA. The design intent was to give employees and business partners a “connotation of home”. The key was introducing lots of natural materials, including wood, to create an “exposed wood deck and beam loft building.” A wood ceiling would help meet the aesthetic and acoustic requirements of the large space.

Standing in the main “forum” atrium, the overhead ceiling panels are emblazoned with a blue sky graphic to give it the feel of strolling outside on a clear, sunny day. Four floors wrap the giant gathering space like stacked terraces, and a large amount of the building’s 13,000SF wood ceilings are visible from this vantage for an impressive architectural display.

To meet the acoustic and aesthetic requirements, BDG specified a deep “baffle” Grille. Not only do the unusually large ¾” x 5” blades on 6” centers match the grandeur of the building, but this configuration gives enough open area to achieve the required 0.85 noise reduction coefficient (NRC), largely delivered via 1-1/2” fiberglass blanket above the grilles. This helps dampen the sound for the open-plan design, which is quickly filled with conversations and background noise from the over 1,400 employees.

The aesthetic requirement created another challenge, especially given the compressed schedule. The original color control was stained Teak veneer, known for its rich grain. Due to schedule constraints of securing that volume of Teak veneer from overseas, 9Wood proposed an alternate sourced in North America: Quarter Sliced Red Oak. Agreeable to the Red Oak’s natural graining, the tricky part was dialing-in the perfect tone to mimic Teak’s color. 9Wood provided a few versions of stained hand samples, and then a 4-panel mock-up, to make sure everyone was satisfied before fabrication.

BDG’s ideal was to create “an ‘un-corporate’ working environment that is both timeless and authentic.” Acoustical contractor Allan Construction summarized the project’s success aptly, commenting—“It’s very outdoorsy. It looks more like a home than a business.”