Architecture Today Podcasts AT Editors

Exploring the key technical and performance aspects of the new Sonify discontinuous ceiling system from Zentia, including design flexibility, colours and finishes, specification tools, and ease of installation.





John Spicer and Michael Anderson are Head of New Product Development, and Head of Architectural and Design Consultancy, respectively at Zentia.

Listen to the Ask the Expert podcast, in partnership with Zentia, exploring the key technical and performance aspects of the company’s new Sonify discontinuous ceiling system.

In association with

Click here to listen to the Ask the Expert podcast

Recently launched by Zentia, Sonify is an innovative discontinuous ceiling system that embraces the principles of parametric design to deliver high-quality, design-led solutions with ease and accuracy. Conceived as a ‘kit-of-parts’ that can be configured online using Sonify 3D Studio, the system provides numerous benefits for architects, interior designers and specifiers. In the third of three Ask the Expert podcasts on ceiling design, John Spicer, Head of New Product Development at Zentia, and Michael Anderson, Head of Architectural and Design Consultancy, discuss the key technical and performance aspects of Sonify, as well as the feedback received so far, with AT’s Technical Editor John Ramshaw.

Could you explain why Zentia has adopted a ‘kit of parts’ approach to Sonify and how it impacts on the design, delivery and installation processes?

JS Sonify’s kit of parts approach provides the flexibility to use standard, preconfigured, and pre-engineered components in a variety of different ways. Well known examples of this methodology include Lego and Meccano. One of the best examples in construction terms are kitchens. Here, specifiers design a layout from standard cabinets and are then able to change the doors, handles, trims, etc. This is what we're trying to do with the Sonify system.

From a design perspective, what does Sonify offer in terms of the different types and shapes of ceiling installation available?

JS Our focus is on panels: either canopies or baffles. There are 17 shapes as standard, as well as a degree of variability in terms of how they're laid out – whether that is multiples of the same shape or size, or a mix of different shapes and sizes in the same configuration. So we'll have a baffle configuration that might be a standard rectangle, or it may be an angled or curved version. And then for the canopies we'll have squares, rectangles circles and hexagons.

Could you tell us why Sonify was developed and how it differs from traditional discontinuous ceiling systems?

GT Zentia has evolved from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, and while we retained many of the standard products that specifiers will be familiar with, we also recognised that there was a gap in our product offering for something that could allow architects to be creative and put their own personal stamp on ceiling design. Sonify also responds to the growing trend towards discontinuous ceiling options and the specific needs of clients, specifiers, designers, acousticians and installers in this respect.

Sonify is designed to give specifiers a high degree of design creativity and flexibility using a kit-of-parts approach

What about colours and finishes for the components? How many standard shades are there?

JS We have a palette of 35 standard colours that can be applied to the panels. But designers are not limited to just choosing one tone,

Discontinuous ceiling design is explored through Sonify 3D Studio, a powerful online configurator that has been developed to maximise the creative and functional potential of Zentia’s new Sonify discontinuous ceiling system.





Phil Dixon is head of technology & transformation at Zentia.

Listen to the Ask the Expert podcast, in partnership with Zentia, exploring Sonify 3D Studio, a powerful online configurator for the company’s innovative new discontinuous ceiling system.

In association with

Click here to listen to the Ask the Expert podcast

One of the principal aims of Zentia’s new Sonify discontinuous ceiling system is to combine high levels of performance with creative freedom using a ‘kit-of-parts’ approach. Panel shape and spacing, along with a palette of 35 different colours are just some of the design parameters available to specifiers. To help architects both visualise their designs and maximise the potential of the system, Zentia has introduced a powerful online configurator: Sonify 3D Studio.

So what are the key functions and benefits of Sonify 3D Studio? What makes it different from other ceiling configurators? How does it contribute to the golden thread? And how should architects approach the design and specification process using the software? These questions and more were explored in the second of three Ask the Expert podcasts on ceiling design with Phil Dixon, Head of IT at Zentia, in conversation with AT’s Technical Editor John Ramshaw.

What do we mean when we talk about a configurator and where does it typically fit in the designer’s work flow?

A configurator, in the generic sense, is a tool that can be used to manipulate the various options of a given system. Configurators are frequently used in the car industry, enabling customers to select different options for a specific model. This type of tool can be used at the beginning of the design process, to explore different configurations, without investing significant time in understanding the complexity of the product. It can also be used to quickly build up a mood board to show clients and engage in early feedback.

How does a configurator help an architect deliver design intent and meet specific performance requirements?

Like a car configurator, our ceiling configurator is a tool that helps architects to quickly, simply and playfully explore products and configurable options in the Sonify range – without really having to understand how all the systems and fixtures fit together.

What is Sonify 3D Studio configurator and why did Zentia build it?

One of Zentia’s core beliefs is innovation, so we naturally wanted to create a tool that would add value to our customers by doing something that nobody had done before. 3D Studio is a multifaceted tool, that introduces architects and designers to Sonify, and lets them explore the range’s almost infinite design possibilities quickly, simply and visually.

The Sonify 3D Studio configurator combines parametric design and creativity with simple integration into digital workflows

What are the main functions and benefits of Sonify 3D Studio for the specifier?



There are a number of key elements. The configurator is super simple to play with, enabling users to manipulate shapes, colours and different environments with ease. We also built it to be highly photorealistic, so the system understands materials,

Listen to the Ask the Expert podcast, in partnership with Zentia, exploring the design of discontinuous ceiling systems and specifically Sonify, a brand new product that the company is bringing to market.

In association with

Click here to listen to the Ask the Expert podcast

Ceilings can often make or break commercial and public building interiors, both in terms of appearance and functionality. Discontinuous ceiling systems are seen by many as the preferred solution for their ability to combine high levels of performance with good aesthetics. But what exactly are discontinuous ceilings? How do they work? And what is behind the latest system to come to market: Sonify by Zentia. These questions and more were explored in the first of three Ask the Expert podcasts on ceiling design with Zentia’s John Spicer, Head of New Product Development, and Graham Taylor, Director of Sales and Marketing, in conversation with AT’s Technical Editor John Ramshaw.

What are discontinuous ceilings and when and where are they used?

JS As the name suggests, it’s a ceiling that is not continuous. Traditionally, we would describe a suspended ceiling as a wall-to-wall solution – a continuous membrane dividing the plenum (the air space behind the ceiling) and the ceiling soffit from the useable space below. A discontinuous ceiling eschews this approach in favour of a series of individual elements, including rafts, canopies, baffles. Discontinuous ceilings are specified for a number of reasons, including ‘activating’ the concrete soffit for thermal mass, and as part of a general trend away from suspended ceilings. They are used on a wide range of projects, from offices to education and hospitality spaces.

What are the main challenges for architects when it comes to specifying discontinuous ceilings?

JS Unlike continuous ceilings, where services are located where needed and then simply dropped into ceiling tiles, on open-soffit or discontinuous ceilings these elements have to be carefully planned or zoned, because there maybe large areas where there is no ceiling treatment at all. Secondly, the visual appearance of the soffit and the exposed servicing might have to be upgraded as these elements are usually hidden from view.

Could you tell us why Sonify was developed and how it differs from traditional discontinuous ceiling systems?

GT Zentia has evolved from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, and while we retained many of the standard products that specifiers will be familiar with, we also recognised that there was a gap in our product offering for something that could allow architects to be creative and put their own personal stamp on ceiling design. Sonify also responds to the growing trend towards discontinuous ceiling options and the specific needs of clients, specifiers, designers, acousticians and installers in this respect.

Sonify is designed to give specifiers a high degree of design creativity and flexibility using a kit-of-parts approach

JS At the moment discontinuous ceilings tend to be single elements, such as canopies or baffles, that are hung either individually or dotted about.

Interrailing in middle age, learning from life on the continent, the joys of 1930s mansion blocks and a proposal to give architects the skills required to write a decent brief and be an effective client.





Claire Bennie is a former development director at Peabody and the founder and director of Municipal, a consultancy that works with visionary public landowners to  improve the quality of our housing and neighbourhoods.