TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
HIMALAYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
CHYASAL, LALITPUR
A REPORT ON FALSE CEILING
SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:
GRISHMA REGMI AR. PUSHPA S. SHRESTHA
073/BAE/O6
Acknowledgement:
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our teacher Ar. Pushpa Shankar Shrestha sir , for
not only giving this opportunity to research but also for insightful lessons he taught over this
semester, without which I would not have gained so much.
I would like to Department of Architecture, HCOE and our seniors who constantly helped us
through technical guidance.
Also, I would like to thank my parents for their support, without whom I would have never made
it this far.
Introduction:
False ceiling, also known as suspended ceiling, conceals the varied service lines, structural
features, open pipes and wiring and air conditioning ducts. False ceilings are a type of an
artificial ceiling created as a lowered extension of the existing ceiling .Gypsum boards, Plaster of
Paris, Extruded aluminum plywood,
This type of ceiling were mostly used in commercial construction but now the use of false ceiling
has widen, can be seen in most of the places. The gap between the actual ceiling and false ceiling
was used to install lighting and air-conditioning vents. But with time and design development,
this type of ceiling has now become a part of households, too. They are designed in different
shapes and height which gives an artistic look to home decor. It is one of the modern trend of
interior designing.
HISTORY OF FALSE CEILING:
Dropped ceiling and ceiling tiles were being used in Japan for aesthetic reasons as early
as Muromachi period (1337 to 1573 AD )
Initially modern dropped ceilings were built using interlocking tiles and the only way to
provide access for repair or inspection of the area above the tiles was by starting at the
edge of ceiling, or at designated ‘key tile’ and then removing contiguous tiles one at a
time until the desired place of access was reached.
Once the repair or inspection was completed, the tiles had to be reinstalled. This process
could be very time consuming and expensive.
On 1958, Donald A. Brown of Westlake, Ohio filed for a patent for accessible Suspended
ceiling Construction. This invention provided suspended ceiling construction in which
access may readily be obtained at any desired location.
TYPES OF FALSE CEILING (BASED ON MATERIAL):
Wooden Ceiling
Gypsum Ceiling
Thermocol ceiling
Armstrong Ceiling
PVC Ceiling, etc
ARMSTRONG CEILING
ADVANTAGES OF FALSE CEILING:
If there is high ceiling at the home, it adds to the décor and also lets the designers play
with the lighting such as cove lighting, wall washers, floating effects and so on.
These ceilings allows to add depth to the room by showcasing the gap between high and
the lowered ceiling.
It conceals the wiring used in lighting installed in the ceiling.
To add to the beauty, you could also get some interesting carvings on the higher ceiling
using Plaster of Paris or POP.
It also has sound absorption capability and makes your room cozy and quiet. It creates an
effective sonic system especially used in auditoriums, cinema halls or recording studios.
It is good at absorbing heat, too.
DISADVANTAGES OF FALSE CEILING:
If not maintained well, the false ceiling can be home to pests and spider webs.
If the actual ceiling in the home is not too high, adding false ceiling could make the room
look smaller and makes it claustrophobic.
A hanging structure, the false ceiling is not as solid as the actual ceiling. Thus, in case of
any calamity or installing of any heavy lighting or other fixtures could cause a damage.
Dropped ceilings generally conceal many of the functional and structural elements of the
building, creating an aesthetic paradigm that discourages the use of functional building
systems as aesthetic design elements.
Concealing these elements makes the complexity of today’s advanced building
technologies more difficult to appreciate. It is also more difficult to perform maintenance
or diagnose problems with the concealed systems.
WOODEN FALSE CEILING:
It is used both for providing roofing and for aesthetical purpose in a [Link] can be used both
for domestic and commercial purpose.
TYPES OF WOODEN FALSE CEILING:
Drop Ceiling
Ceiling tiles
Plank ceiling (tongue and groove)
Coffered ceiling
Suspended ceiling
DROP CEILING: A drop ceiling has two parts: drop panels and a suspended metal grid, which
hangs below an existing ceiling.
CEILING TILES: Ceiling tiles are standard 12”*12” or 16”*16* squares that are attached to an
existing ceiling with easy-to-install tracks and clips, nails, or glue.
PLANK CEILING (Tongue and groove): Tongue and groove ceilings look like real wood and
can be attached directly to an existing ceiling or inserted into a suspended grid system.
COFFERED CEILIING: Coffered ceilings are formed with recessed panels surrounded by
dropped beams that create a grid pattern. It’s a classic ceiling design from Greek and Roman
architecture.
SUSPENDED CEILING: It is a non-structural ceiling suspended below the overhead structural
slab or from the structural elements of a building and not bearing onto the walls.
FALSE CEILING OF POP:
POP simply means Plaster Of Paris, a type of ceiling that originated from France. There is a use
of white powder (Calcium trioxo carbonate) for molding the ceiling into any form and pattern.
It is usually finished with the application of paints. While paints are the most predominant choice
when pop ceilings are used. The main advantage of using pop is it is best known for the aesthetic
appeal and flexibility with recesses and different levels.
Thickness available is 10, 12, 14 mm. Sizes 6*4 feet, 2*3 feet.
Suspension materials: Aluminum and galvanized iron or wood. Nowadays, gypsum tiles of
600*600 mm along with the POP sheets is available. The grid is already made of the tile size and
it is fixed upon it.
POP ceiling can be made in different shapes due to the flexibility of material of converting into
any shapes.
COMPARISON OF POP AND FALSE CEILING:
POP:
POP board size 2’*3’
It has more joint.
Less cost.
It is heavier than Gypsum.
Also, has shorter life span.
Possibility of crack is more.
Cutting is hard than gypsum.
It has less strength than gypsum.
GYPSUM:
Gypsum Board size 3’*6’.
Lesser joint than POP ceiling.
Costlier installation than POP.
Lighter than POP.
Possibility of crack is less.
Cutting is easier than POP.
It has more strength than POP.
CONCLUSION:
False ceiling is the way to beautify the “space”. Today, as per the selection of products, there are
many brands available in the market that provides you interesting designer false ceiling. They
include branded as well as non-branded players which have to be carefully scrutinized while
selecting. It is one area where architects and designer use their creativity to the maximum extent
and create very interesting patterns. The world of false ceiling is just opened and has a long way
to go.
A well designed false ceiling is essential for any interior Architecture project. Modern
false ceilings need to be more responsible than being just a surface. Yes, we need some
areas with completely sealed surfaces but it should be mixture of closed surfaces, screens
and exposed true ceiling. Due to the increase need of making environmentally sustainable
Interior Design, false ceiling has become the of the major component which uses
resources need to be more environmentally responsible,
