ABSTRACT
Suspended ceilings are arguably the go-to “default” solution for covering the space of the ceiling as efficiently and economically as possible. Their global production and widespread application in a variety of locations, from the hospital ward to the hotel room, indicates their close relationship to fundamental ideas of how we design and build contemporary architecture.
This chapter weaves a story through the history of the suspended ceiling, appreciating both the technical and cultural aspirations – dreams – which have shaped their production. As a standardized building component, the development of the suspended ceiling owes much to the systems-oriented ideas of building construction which emerged over the course of the twentieth century. Promoted by post-war architectural Modernists, these ideas have, in recent times, been the subject of critical reappraisal. Recalling the provocative imagery of radical Italian design collective Superstudio, this chapter explores these divergent attitudes toward the suspended ceiling through an abstracted representation of its continuous design, production and application. The Superceiling, a system which can be installed in virtually any space, anywhere in the world, acts as a representational medium that communicates our historic and continued approaches to building construction, assembly and production.
