ZENTIA
Kingsway South
Team Valley Estate
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear NE11 0SP
Tel: 0191 497 1000
Fax:
Suppliers of: suspended ceiling tiles acoustic curved ceiling tiles timber ceiling tiles metal ceiling tiles mineral ceiling tiles
Mineral Ceilings
Backed by 150 years of innovation, Zentia is a market leader in supplying ceiling solutions in market segments such as Office, Education, Health, Retail, Transport and Hospitality.
Zentia Ceilings Range
Zentia remains a foremost name in the building industry, known and trusted for reliable quality & technological innovations. Zentia offers a peerless portfolio of mineral ceiling tiles including:
Zentia Suspension Systems
- Prelude 24mm range
- Prelude 15mm range
- Prelude 35
- Clean Room 24
- Designer Grid
- Axiom Canopies
- Axiom Solutions
- Seismic Rx
- System Z Corridor
- Perimeter Trims
Its ceiling systems deliver an improved environment for users’ well-being, with options that passively resist germs and reduce a building’s reliance on artificial light and air-conditioning. A 30-year system warranty also gives peace of mind.
Acoustic Solutions
Zentia can provide product specifications for a complete range of acoustic solutions (Intelligibility, Concentration and Confidentiality).
We also have a number of useful acoustic tools, A ‘reverberation simulator’ which compares the different reverberation times of various tiles to help specifiers make the best choice for their desired sound quality and a ceiling selector, complete with in-situ tile images, to assist in making decisions about style and material.
Sustainable Solutions
Zentia sustainable innovations include the following recycling schemes:
- Off Cut Recycling Scheme (OCR) - Off-cut ceiling tiles from new ceiling installations can be stored on site in specially supplied bags and collected by Zentia to be recycled into new ceiling tiles. Diverting large amounts of waste form landfill every year
- New Ceilings - All Zentia Mineral Ceilings can contain up to 82% recycled material
Zentia was the first European mineral tile manufacturer to win Cradle to Cradle® certification for ceiling systems that comprise high recycled content. It also helped pioneer ceiling recycling worldwide.
Zentia systems help VELUX® reach for the sky
Ceiling systems by leading UK manufacturer Zentia were specified for a new £7.7 million extension to the UK and Ireland headquarters of world-leading daylight solutions provider VELUX for a trio of reasons at least.
The project was the first time Zentia’s Ultima+ Finesse mineral tiles have been installed in Scotland where VELUX UK and Ireland’s headquarters have been located on a 1.6-hectare site in Glenrothes, Fife, for 35 years. Back then it had 50 employees there. Now it has 172. The Finesse tiles were complemented by Ultima+ OP Microlook tiles, also in 600mm x 600mm format.
They were selected by regular Zentia specifiers Sinclair Watt Architects as they met the Class 1, aesthetic, fire and acoustic performance required for the 37,673ft2 two-storey building which features an engineered timber and steel structural frame.
Designed to complement the gently sloping site, the extension features full-height glazing and stone and timber cladding, and showcases the latest VELUX technology. It joins the existing building via a new staff entrance, which features a green roof, aluminium guttering and timber rainscreen cladding.
Some 1,1,00m2 of the Zentia Ultima+ OP Microlook tiles were used in the ground floor offices and storerooms, while 100m2 of the Finesse tiles were used in the restaurant, kitchen and toilets. The Ultima+ range features class-leading light reflectance of 87% and Euroclass A2-s1, d0 fire classification, the OP Microlook variant with Class A sound absorption and Finesse a fully concealed, fully-painted edge detail.
Sinclair Watt were provided with a detailed brief to provide accommodation for a new main entrance and reception area, product display hall, meeting room suite, additional office space and customer service telephone hall and ancillary accommodation. By necessity these were required to be large spaces to accommodate large numbers of employees and visitors.
The building had to achieve seven basic goals - to allow VELUX to be a good neighbour, to be simple and beautiful, to make arrival a good experience, to be a model of balanced daylight, natural ventilation, good indoor comfort and healthy materials, to apply a well-defined, high-quality structural concept, to obtain good sustainable standards with a minimum use of energy, to be visible and logical, and to create value and express the VELUX values.
Sinclair Watt met this by incorporating a regular and prominent engineered timber and steel structural frame that provided a design with a clear distinction between the supporting structure of the building and the facades and roof. This was both to create clarity and logic in the design and to make it possible to replace or update the not-so-permanent parts of the building. The roof form is curved to reduce the overall scale of the building.
The internal design incorporates a central street and atrium that acts as a meeting place as well as a general circulation area and allows the best use of natural sunlight and natural ventilation throughout the building. The building provides good indoor comfort and utilises healthy materials.
The three key areas - energy efficiency, healthy indoor environment and renewable energy - constitute the basis of the new building. A fabric-first approach for the building was adopted with high insulation levels and low air permeability rates to reduce overall heat loss from the building. This combined with a natural ventilation and daylighting strategy, and the use of LED lighting and air source heat pumps as the main heating source, resulted in a highly energy efficient and sustainable building.
Architect Iain Mitchell said: “We specified the Zentia systems as they have a good product range, good suspension systems, with good product information and good technical backup. They met all the aesthetic, fire and acoustic performances.
“Zentia shadow and transition trims were used so the Zentia ceilings tie in well with adjacent plasterboard walls and ceilings. The client is very happy with the ceiling installation and building as a whole.”
The ceiling installation was completed for main contractor ISG by specialist sub-contractor PFP who had a team of up to six operatives on site for seven months prior to the first Covid lockdown. It was the first time they had installed the Ultima+ Finesse tile from Zentia, who have evolved from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions.
Commercial director Colin Burns said: “We had some meetings with Zentia to talk through the detailing of the Finesse element and put it to the guys on site but apart from that, and some coordinating with services, it was very straightforward. It looks good as it always does and gives a nice bright finish. It was interesting to be the first installer of Finesse in Scotland.”
Scott Leeder, VELUX’s Market Director – Great Britain and Ireland, said: “The new building provides our existing employees with a much-improved working environment and accommodates any increase in headcount in the future.”
Councillor Altany Craik, convener of Fife Council’s economy, tourism and strategic planning committee, added: “This new building looks very impressive.”
The future of UK ceiling solutions lies closer to home
We are passionate about adding value and supporting UK architects, specifiers and building contractors with ceiling solutions. Whilst we are delighted to serve markets outside the UK & Ireland, such as in Iberia and the Baltic states, we are proud to declare our focus is here at home.
That’s why we are investing at our two UK production plants in Team Valley – one for mineral fibre tiles and one for grid. This kind of £multi-million investment gives total control over the supply chain whilst creating local jobs in the process. It also enables delivery to the very highest product quality control standards on everything from acoustic ceiling tiles to floating canopies. For Zentia customers, this means a promise of ceiling solutions with 100% reliability and near zero returns.
In an ever-more complex and volatile market, you need a partner that you can trust allowing you to focus your time and resources on adding value whilst enjoying greater cost-efficiency. What’s more, UK based manufacturing such as Zentia’s offers greater levels of reliability and sustainability. And that in turn supports customers who rely on next day delivery; something that other companies without a UK manufacturing base are finding increasingly difficult to live up to.
Having contemporary production facilities in the UK is one thing but customers also want dedicated support. With their head office here too, Zentia have established a responsive UK specification, logistics and tech support team as well. So, whether you need help specifying an antimicrobial ceiling tile for a hospital or want a fast replacement part for a grid, you’ll find the right answer right here in the UK.
The UK focus for Zentia is a great example of how the manufacturing industry can thrive in the UK market after Brexit. But above all, this UK focus is paying dividends for architects, specifiers, contractors, and distributors. They rely on innovative ceiling solutions to enhance the interior architecture of public buildings and public spaces throughout the UK. And when that is your market position, you need to be certain that your key trading partners are right beside you, all the way.
So, when you think of Zentia, think of the only UK based, manufacturing business, focused on meeting the needs of architects, specifiers and distributors across the UK.
