Creating innovation with Barrisol Biowood

Environmental considerations are kept at the forefront of most choices, ensuring that earth-friendly decisions are made, whether through fabrication methods, recycling options, or groundbreaking new materials. 

Barrisol Normalu of Kembs, France (global HQ) has released its 17th generation of stretch ceiling membranes in their new ‘Biowood’ range. Available in three finishes - UltraMat, which is opaque, and Biowood Flora and Capella, two different translucencies for backlighting applications. GreenGuard Gold Certification has been achieved for these next-generation membranes.

The demand for sustainable solutions has come from architects and end consumers wanting to improve their building's green star rating.  Barrisol continues to be very conscious of the environment, a company ethos that stems back to its founder, who developed the first recyclable stretched ceiling in 1967.

Barrisol has continued to innovate, improving its broad coverage of “impact” materials used en masse, which work towards nature-positive building outcomes. 

We spoke to Will Colhoun of Barrisol Sydney to dissect Biowood, why creating such an innovative material was necessary, and what it means to successfully decarbonise your projects, whether it be a minor renovation of your home or a major interior fit-out of a new city high-rise building. 

We spoke to Will Colhoun of Barrisol Sydney to dissect Biowood, why creating such an innovative material was necessary, and what it means to successfully decarbonise your projects, whether it be a minor renovation of your home or a major interior fit-out of a new city high-rise building. 

“For over 55 years, Barrisol has been committed to innovating the most environmentally friendly products to offer architects and our customers the choice of increasingly natural products.  Today, it is the first and only stretch ceiling company to offer a petroleum-free product made from plants and FSC/PEFC wood with the Biowood range,” says Colhoun. 

An ingredients list curated of 92% plants and wood and no petroleum in sight, Barrisol Biowood membranes herald true technological advancements that promise future-proofed buildings. Both functional and aesthetically pleasing, Barrisol Biowood promises an established product that boosts natural preservation without compromising attractiveness or performance in your interiorscape. 

The impacts of climate change are no secret, and decarbonising our buildings is crucial to creating a healthier and happier environment for us and future generations. Fortunately, as technology advances, decarbonising your home is much more achievable.

“Decarbonising buildings means making them from products not reliant on fossil fuels for their production,” explains Colhoun. 

In addition, Barrisol Normalu's manufacturing process does not require water, which allows it to help conserve this vital natural resource. In the production of sheets, no CFCs or HCHCs are emitted, and no cadmium is used in manufacturing.” 

With a range of benefits from decarbonising your home, such as lower energy consumption, reduced carbon impact, improved indoor air quality and much more, there’s more to Biowood than meets the eye. 

“Developing next-generation membranes, such as the Biowood range, Barrisol is committed to offering products that do just that - assist architects, builders and homeowners in achieving their decarbonising goals.  However, while innovation is crucial in advancing zero-carbon technology and energy efficiency measures in the building sector, it is not the sole determinant of successful transformation. The broader challenge lies in adopting and implementing these innovations at scale. Several factors contribute to the complexity of accelerating uptake, including value engineering, consumer awareness and preferences, supply chain and industry capacity and market dynamics.

Barrisol Biowood is a low-carbon product.  It's composition represents cutting-edge innovation when it comes to eco-friendly construction by using a plant-based plasticiser derived from wood and plants to create its soft, flexible, thermally extensible membrane. 

With the market value of biopolymers rapidly increasing, they’ve also become somewhat of a major player in the construction industry with a noticeable shift in ecological choices. With this mind, Barrisol continues its cutting-edge environmental innovation, providing next-generation membranes to continue its mission of manufacturing sustainable products that meet this new demand from Architects and consumers.

All in all, Barrisol Biowood is a significant step towards ecological sustainability. Opting for this membrane will allow customers to embrace one of the best products regarding safety, quality, and health - proudly making their big leap towards taking lighter steps on the planet.   Barrisol's commitment to obtaining independent third-party laboratory testing and certification for all its membranes gives consumers added confidence in their choice.

This distinction makes Barrisol the most trusted brand and why, in a nutshell, it is the "World No. 1 in stretch ceilings".

Its quick installation bids farewell to any mess or dust that comes with the fitting process, and this point is also relevant when it comes to removing or reassembling, especially in light of the newly implemented crystalline silica exposure prevention laws. 

With this product impervious to moisture, your ceiling will not crack or peel over time, avoiding repeated painting and promising low maintenance costs. Ceilings can be dismounted and remounted without damage. This is very convenient when undertaking repairs or maintenance, for example, when adding cabling or pipework. 

Furthermore, Barrisol Biowood ceilings have a life expectancy of 40 years.

• Fire classification; NCC Group 1 Fire Classification (AWTA Product Testing), European B-s1, d0  (highest rating)
• Guaranteed petroleum-free, phthalates-free, formaldehyde-free, cadmium-free, arsenic-free, mercury-free... 
• A + certified for indoor quality
• 100% recyclable, reusable, lightweight, resistant and flexible, compatible with all our Barrisol® profile systems, it can be acoustic, luminous and printed
• It's the ideal product because of its composition for integration with climatisation systems, such as the Barrisol Clim® system, offering up to 20% energy savings.

Discover more about Barrisol Biowood on ArchiPro.