Shrewsbury retail refurbishment includes Hunter Douglas ceilings on its shopping list

Leading architectural products manufacturer Hunter Douglas has provided modern new ceilings for a shopping centre in Shrewsbury, England, undergoing a major refurbishment programme.

The Darwin Centre, in Raven Meadows, was partially refurbished in 2002, but with the opening of a new 30,600 sq ft Primark store, further work was undertaken to further update it.

David Harris, general manager of Hunter Douglas, said it worked closely with the architects to find the best solution for a light and visually open ceiling. The team specified a plain white Tavola baffle ceiling – a relatively new product – for the main malls within the centre.

Tavola Baffle ceilings are versatile, providing architects and specifiers with an adjustable and design-led system to make them the perfect bespoke solution for major developments. They have a deep section box section that is best suited for spaces that need to mask services in the void or specific lighting effects whilst still allowing airflow or services to operate within the void.

The 600m² ceiling comprises plain white steel Tavola baffles in RAL9010. Each baffle is 150mm deep by 60mm wide and is installed on a straight carrier, with the exception of three small areas, where they are installed on curved carriers to allow the baffles to be installed in a ‘barrel vaulted’ design.

David said: “The Hunter Douglas Tavola baffle ceiling is ideal for a large space such as a retail development. It is an extremely robust solution, as well as stylish and aesthetically pleasing, while its easy accessibility to services means that it works extremely well in a busy retail environment. The system offers a wide choice of colours and finishes, providing designers and specifiers with a large degree of flexibility.”

Hunter Douglas also specified its Cell 40 Ceiling system for another 500m² ceiling at high level within the malls. The 100mm module panels are assembled from aluminium U profiles and are finished in black RAL9011 for a clean, sophisticated feel.

“Our Cell 40 panels help to create a spacious appearance and work exceptionally well where there is a requirement for open, light weight construction,” said David. “Architects value this particular style of Hunter Douglas ceiling system because it is very versatile and comes in a wide variety of cell modules and depths, maximising the opportunities in design.”