Cundall office, Belfast

Global multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Cundall has selected our new Selecta Hemp canopies for the refurbishment of its Belfast office, reflecting the firm’s commitment to sustainability and acoustic performance.

Cundall has pledged that by 2030 every project will meet zero carbon design criteria aligned with science-based targets, and the company’s refurbished office is one of the first completed contracts for our new hemp canopies.

OWA’s Selecta Hemp canopies combine natural aesthetics with high acoustic performance. Hemp is a fast-growing fibrous material that absorbs more carbon during growth than is consumed during manufacture. Thus, resulting in negative carbon usage, producing an A1 – A3 GWP value of -2.34 kg CO2 eq/m². It also produces biomass faster than wood, locking away CO₂ more efficiently.

Customer quotes

Cundall’s Associate Director Yvonne McNally said: “We love the natural hemp material which blends so well with the other finishes in our office. The negative carbon of the canopies reduces the overall embodied carbon of the refurbishment which was a key focus for us. They also absorb sound beautifully and add to the comfort and practicality of the open plan office – we are really pleased with the end result”.

Andrew Parkin, Cundall’s Global Head of Acoustics, added: “Acoustic canopies have become a mainstay solution in education and workplace settings and we were keen to adopt these new products by OWA in our office refurbishment. Hemp canopies absorb sound across both front and back surfaces, measured by equivalent sound absorption. Acoustic performance alone is not sufficient – we need practical, beautiful, sustainable solutions, which the hemp canopies help us achieve.”

Selecta hemp specification

OWA Selecta Hemp canopies are available in natural straw colour or in a palette of twenty shades to suit a variety of interior design schemes. The standard format is a floating rectangular canopy measuring 1880 x 1200 x 45 mm, suspended by six discreet wire ropes.