Slated Wooden Rippling Water Effect Blades from Supawood

Unique rippling water effect achieved with slated blades in corporate fit-out.

Water Corporation's brief to Woodhead International for the design of the new staff lunch areas in their HQ at Balcatta WA was simple... create a visually appealing, stimulating and enjoyable workplace environment.

A unique concept was developed for sculptured water ripple effect ceiling features which would reflect the client's core water delivery business.

Converting this concept into reality posed technical challenges for the builders PS Structures. The design required assembling custom made wooden blades to achieve the effects but conventional architectural approaches to fitment detailing was too expensive and impractical.

PS Structures turned to Supawood to devise an economical solution for configuring and manufacturing the wooden blades and to design a simple concealed fixing system design.

Made from Birch plywood and given a clear finish, there are 207 different shapes and 778 blades in total.

To ensure the exact layouts were configured as planned, every blade had concealed labelling and was notched to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. All blades were then packed and marked by area for easy identification in the installation sequence.

The largest blade ceiling is in the main staff gathering area, a circular room dominated by a circular feature reminiscent of the ripples a water droplet makes when hitting a surface.

In other areas rectangular shaped blade features suggest waves washing over the length of the ceilings above the tables. Lighting has been cleverly integrated illuminating the effects.

To address noise reverberation, Supawood supplied Supabab acoustic boarding which was used at the blade and ceiling interface to eliminate the need for perforated plasterboard.

This project shows a new, incredibly creative method in which SUPASLAT bespoke linear products can be applied.

This project has been certified - 4 Star Green Star - Office Design v3.