breaking suspended ceiling to get height (edit)

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We've got double glazed glass partition units on the cheap to act as our new office partitioning.

Problem is these units are 257cm when the floor to suspended ceiling height is 254cm! Since these glass partitions have to sit in a timber frame that adds another 4 inches. There is about anothing 25cm of space above the ceiling till the concrete floor above.

We want to break the metal frame of the suspended ceiling and angle it upwards (along the width of the room) where it meets the partitions so we get that extra height along the length of the partition wall - so we can fit the 257cm glass unit + 2" timer frame.

Is this possible? Will it ruin the structural integrity of the ceiling?

Here's how an angled suspended ceiling looks - this the effect I want angling upwards to meet the extra high partition wall:
164000_163847_42897_16787119_thumb.jpg


Our suspended ceiling contained a metal grid tied vertically to the concrete floor above with metal cables

The ceiling looks similar to this:

606px-Suspended-ceiling-0a.jpg


Opened up it looks like this:
164000_163847_42898_64794879_thumb.jpg
 
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The ceiling is used for cabling.

Are you the builder? if so get a company in and have it done properly, don't forget it will come off you/customers tax bill.

Andy
 
As long as your glass partition frame will allow you to fit the perimeter strip to it this shouldn't be too tricky.
I would agree tho, if your not the builder it may be best to leave it to them.
And you need to know if your partition might then interfere with services above the ceiling?
 
As long as your glass partition frame will allow you to fit the perimeter strip to it this shouldn't be too tricky.
I would agree tho, if your not the builder it may be best to leave it to them.
And you need to know if your partition might then interfere with services above the ceiling?

I'm not doing it myself - got a builder but he's used to doing residential building so suspended ceilings are all new to him as well. I've got to use him as he's given me the best quote by far.

I've now added new images to the original post to make it clearer what it should look like.

The metal grid that holds the ceiling panels appears to be made of long strips running end to end and shorter ones in between in the other direction.

Where our new glass walls will be, they will disect the longer metal strips - which makes me even more concerned about the structural integrity of the whole ceiling after we've cut this metal grid - even though they are also held up by metal cables to the roof.
 
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I'm not doing it myself - got a builder but he's used to doing residential building so suspended ceilings are all new to him as well. I've got to use him as he's given me the best quote by far.
Sounds like you're getting 'cheapest' and 'best' confused, otherwise why would you be on here asking questions any competent builder in this sector would already know? :rolleyes:
 
If you are making individual offices they should continue to ceiling as a fire break and any suspended floor should also have a firebreak installed.
 
I'm not doing it myself - got a builder but he's used to doing residential building so suspended ceilings are all new to him as well. I've got to use him as he's given me the best quote by far.
Sounds like you're getting 'cheapest' and 'best' confused, otherwise why would you be on here asking questions any competent builder in this sector would already know? :rolleyes:

Obviously, he's clearly not the "best" builder, but he has given the best quote and I can't afford more.

If you are a competent builder yourself, what is your opinion over whether it would actually work? :)
 
If you are making individual offices they should continue to ceiling as a fire break and any suspended floor should also have a firebreak installed.

I hadn't considered fire break :(

You mean they should continue only to the suspended ceiling or all the way to the concrete roof above? Firebreak means there should be a gap, right?

If they do continue to the actual concrete ceiling (i.e. floor of the story above), is there any other way of making it a fire break or compliant of fire regulations? e.g. I dunno, maybe treating the timber frame with fire retardant? I have extremely little knowledge of building or fire regulations btw.

(Our foor isn't suspended btw, it's laminate flooring laid directly on concrete).
 
In many situations the firebreak looks a bit like tri Oso foil insulation, I suppose if you are taking things this far then maybe the glass partitions should be fire glass, definitely toughened anyway.
Surely there's a specialist in here who can help. Or maybe they have been suspended?
 
In many situations the firebreak looks a bit like tri Oso foil insulation, I suppose if you are taking things this far then maybe the glass partitions should be fire glass, definitely toughened anyway.
Surely there's a specialist in here who can help. Or maybe they have been suspended?

The glass is toughened safety glass so it's presumably fire safe. Problem is the timber frame - or since there's only 3-4" of the stuff it won't be a fire hazard?
 
There are too many parameters in this thread to get a coherent answer in respect of fire saftey etc, unless you make it clear exactly what it is you are doing you won't get any useful answers in that respect. Is this a single storey building with one room or part of a multi storey building, what area is is, how is it divided as existing, what is the escape philosophy, the list of possibilities is endless. Like it or not you need to employ either a builder who will address these issues or a designer who can advise, rest easy that your insurance maybe invalid and the HSE will look towards you should anything ever go wrong!

There is nothing inherently wrong in angling the ceiling upwards as you wish although the reality of doing it may make it a royal pain in the backside. I would hazard that this is why you have received a cheaper quote from someone who does not realise the world of pain he is about to enter.

Toughened glass is not fire resistant btw.
 
Firebreak means no gap in order to slow the spread of fire from one room to another, so you would have to build beyond the suspended ceiling to make it legit.
 
Firebreak means no gap in order to slow the spread of fire from one room to another, so you would have to build beyond the suspended ceiling to make it legit.

So my plan of having these partitions go right up the concrete ceiling are actually good as they act as a firebreak.

Interesting, as our previous plans had partitions only going up to the suspended ceiling - i.e. no "firebreak" - and our Building Control surveyor approved the plans as ok.
 
Firebreak means no gap in order to slow the spread of fire from one room to another, so you would have to build beyond the suspended ceiling to make it legit.

So my plan of having these partitions go right up the concrete ceiling are actually good as they act as a firebreak.

Interesting, as our previous plans had partitions only going up to the suspended ceiling - i.e. no "firebreak" - and our Building Control surveyor approved the plans as ok.
 

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