Coffered Ceiling Definition
A coffer refers to the appearance of a sunken panel in a ceiling. Typically, in a modern home a coffered ceiling treatment is applied to give the visual appearance of coffering. Sometimes these types of coffers are made of faux beams or even plaster. Frequently they are trimmed out with moldings to enhance the formality and detail of their appearance and it is common for the recessed paneled coffers to be painted in a different color from the decorative beams.
Function
Ancient coffers were often the result of structural needs, as support beams they were used to move ceiling loads outward on wider spans. These beams created an architectural appearance that is also quite visually appealing. Coffers were frequently used under large domes to help carry the load of the domes and the mathematics necessary to calculate the exact dimensions of the coffers required the assistance of mathematicians.
Identification
The term coffer comes from cofre in Old French, meaning basketlike or boxlike. A coffer mounted under a cupola is called a caisson and a series of coffers (openings or boxes) can line the underside of any surface and, when they are collected in a series, they are called laquearia (a group of boxes).
Sound Effects
Peter Arsenault, sound expert with Pro Sound News, rates the Grosser Musikvereinsaal in Vienna as one of the best concert halls in the world and he is not alone. Also known as the Golden Hall, this building dates to 1870. It seats 1744 people with room for 300 more to stand. Overhead, a coffered ceiling spans the hall. For centuries no one has been able to explain why the acoustics are so good in this building.
In a 2005 Forum Acusticum article by Martin Lisa, et.al, an experimental reconstruction of Ancient Roman Odea (roofed theaters) and their acoustics discovered that the use of coffered ceilings in theatrical halls produced similar acoustic properties to modern concert halls, even though the only sound absorption was provided by the audience. This modeling study calculated how the coffering impacted the sound levels over wide spaces.
Features
Coffered ceilings have become popular additions to modern classic or traditional style homes. The most frequently used style is still a symmetrical boxlike pattern although other shapes are also used, such as octagonal or curved, and some ceilings incorporate several different coffer styles or shapes in a single ceiling. The coffer is often ornamented with dart and bead trims and, in some elaborate applications, plaster or plaster-appearing medallions and ornamentation are also applied.
Benefits
Occasionally a coffered ceiling will mask or hide real, load-bearing beams, much as its ancient ancestor did. Sometimes the unfortunate interruption of a flat ceiling by a necessary structural beam will become the motivation to turn what might be an unsightly intrusion into an architectural feature. In this regard, the secondary beams are false in the sense that they are not designed to carry the load merely to look like the beam that is doing the work. The results are often striking.
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