FAQ for professionals - Architectural Ceiling

Dalles is not a new design idea, but a new product provided on an industrial manufacturing level.

Ceiling clouds-panels have been installed in a wide variety of locations, ranging from restaurants to train stations, private houses to medical facilities. In each instance, the goals of the installation have been unique: purely decorative use, concealing communications or utility infrastructure, for noise reduction, or to increase the visual height of the space.

Unlike the existing implementations, Dalles ceilings:
1 - have perfect surfaces on all visible sides
2 - have a perfect shape
3 - can be easily installed in any interior
4 - are lightweight
5 - offer the option of easily installing other technical elements (fans, decorative “starry skies,” speakers, sensors, cameras, etc.)
6 - can be made for sound absorption ( to absorb direct sound waves with perforated film and indirect waves with sound absorbing material inside.)

Much like any other stretch-ceiling system on the market, Dalles has no fixed, universal price. The cost depends on many factors: the size of the project, the choice of the Dalles suspension system, which size of Dalles is chosen, etc. Prices range from 3 to 28 dollars/sq. in. Our pricing system will allow you to find the lowest price for each specific architectural or design project. We also take into account long-term partnerships with specialists in the field. Click here for preliminary cost calculations.

Dalles is a simple and easy-to-understand product. The informational materials on our website and in the PDF-presentations cover every aspect of it. If you have any additional questions, or special information or a consultation is required, please do not hesitate to contact us. If necessary, one of our specialists can also visit you to make a presentation.

All the information you’ll need about Dalles can be found on the website or in the PDF-presentations. You can also order samples of the available color range of the PVC films we use by filling out the form on the this page.

The contract for the fabrication and installation of the Dalles should be signed no later than one month before the work is scheduled to commence, although in certain cases this period may be adjusted individually. The payment schedule, conditions for access to the installation site, the duration of the installation period, and other organizational conditions will be agreed upon in the process of drawing up the contract.

Dalles is assembled in Canada.

Our project is a cooperative, and is built on the principles of "Combining the Best". It involves several companies, which were founded at different times in various countries. The company that coordinates the project was founded in Montreal in 2007.

Our specialists have been working with stretch-ceilings and tensioned materials since 1999. They have designed and installed thousands of square meters of stretch ceilings. Our experts have education and 95 years of collective experience as architects, builders, and engineers.

One special feature of a cooperative project is the ability to be flexible while still maintaining efficiency. The participants in any given project are ready to fulfil any order ranging from one Dalles (ceiling clouds) panel to several thousand. To accomplish this, the coordinating company will select the optimal organizational configuration.

The participants in our project are located in various cities and, thanks to this, we’re able to take on projects throughout Canada and the United States.

All of the companies in our team that carry out on-site work have the appropriate licenses and competencies for their workers

The Dalles (ceiling clouds) guarantee covers the mounting frames, reinforcing frames, and the retention of color and stretch properties of the film in the Dalles panels for 10 years. Responsibility for compliance with the guarantee rests with the coordinating company, BZ Systems, Inc. (Montreal, Canada).

Dalles (ceiling clouds) is easy to remove or install, which means that it’s also easy to replace. Repairs, however, as a rule, are carried out by the partner company in its own workshop. If your Dalles ceiling should develop discoloration or is damaged, please contact the coordinating company by sending a message. They will promptly arrange a replacement and coordinate with you for timing and access.

The weight of a 4’ x 4’ panel of the basic Dalles model (without special options) is up to 4kg (for comparison, the weight of a plasterboard ceiling of similar size is 11kg, and of acoustic tile, 5.6kg). If the Dalles panel is 3'х3', then it would weigh about 3kg (plasterboard of the same size – 6kg, acoustic, 3kg).

The basic Dalles configuration includes only the aluminum frame stretched with pre-tensioned, colored, lacquered PVC film. To this basic model, the following options can be added:
- sound absorption (special sound absorbing materials are inserted into the Dalles frame)
- enhanced sound absorption – sound absorption+ perforated film
- LED lighting along the perimeter of the Dalles - cove lighting
- remote-controlled LED lighting built-in to the Dalles
- ‘starry sky’ LED lighting, including controller
- ‘chromo-therapy’ LED lighting, including controller
- support for the installation of ventilation grills, spotlights, and other elements
- ring for a sprinkler system
- dispersal shields for the air flowing from the ventilation systems
- printed graphics on the stretch film

The NRC acoustics of Dalles depend on the type of acoustic materials chosen and the combination in which they’re used. These choices are based on the strength and characteristics of the sounds that are to be suppressed. The way in which Dalles is constructed allows you to select from a wide variety of materials to accomplish this.

Dalles can tolerate 100% humidity. However, it is only intended for interior use, long-term. Outside, it can only be used temporarily, for example as part of an exhibition stand or stage, and only in temperatures above 5 degrees Celsius.

Dalles panels are made of water- and chemical- resistant materials, which makes cleaning them quite simple. It’s necessary to use a soft cloth when cleaning, in order to avoid scratching the lacquer surface. The best cleaning solutions to use are those which don’t leave streaks; for example, those intended for cleaning glass. Washing and cleaning services can also be ordered through the coordinating company.

Dalles can be attached in two primary manners: with the assistance of a mounting frame, or without a frame, i.e. directly to the ceiling or wall. The attachment method is chosen based on the characteristics of the location and the design and engineering goals of the project. Schematics for these mounting options are given in the “professional zone”.

Yes,Dalles’ technology allows the installation of almost any devices or components that are typically mounted on or in a ceiling.

If there is a need to incorporate a fire-fighting system with sprinkler heads into the space where the Dalles is being installed, the design has to take into account the distance from the ceiling to the sprinkler heads and make certain that the Dalles is installed 2-3 inches higher than the sprinkler heads. It’s also important to avoid any contact with the mounting frame and the frames of the Dalles itself (those that run inside the edges of the Dalles film) when placing the sprinklers. The architectural ceiling plans should be coordinated with Dalles design specialists through the coordinating company.

The installation technology for Dalles is simple and requires no special skills. Therefore, any expert builder with basic skills can install the suspension frames and Dalles panels. Accuracy is absolutely necessary when performing this work, as Dalles panels are made of a highly fragile, thin film. Our experts can provide all necessary advice and instructions, and we can also supply any specialized components needed.

The Dalles installation process consists of 4 main steps: installation of the mounting anchors in the existing ceiling; installation (hanging) of the mounting frames, if there are any specified in the project; installation of the Dalles itself, and setting up (connecting) any embedded or associated systems (lighting, ventilation, sprinklers, etc.). These processes can be performed at different times by different personnel. This allows you to customize your Dalles installation and fit it easily into any construction schedule.

Project specialists from the “One Night” service have developed an organizational-technical system which allows the overnight installation of Dalles in your location, without having to remove all the furniture and items from the premises, and without a big clean-up.