OWA hygienic ceilings don’t give viruses a chance

Modern construction philosophies have changed the way we look at building materials. Interior building finishes, particularly in the healthcare sector, have expanded well beyond simply fulfilling technical conditions.

The planning, construction and operation of healthcare facilities has become a very detailed, complex process in recent years. The various functions of operating suites, patient rooms, corridors and even cafeterias each have their own unique requirements that must be fulfilled. Beyond the essential hygienic conditions that must be delivered in each of these areas, attention must be paid to improving overall ambiance and mood. Studies have shown that an environment which effectively contributes to reducing noise, stress and anxiety in everyday medical practice is equally as important as containing pathogens.

Well-being and security for rooms with special demands on hygiene

With a complete line of ceiling solutions, OWA offers architects and installers proven solutions for all industries, including products engineered specifically for the healthcare sector. OWA’s fleece-laminated Mineral Wool products of Octave Humancare and Sanitas 02 have most notably passed the world’s most stringent test series; the NF S 90-351 standard covering Clean Room Class, Decontamination Class and Bacteriological Cleanliness Class. Both satisfy the standard’s guidelines for Zone 4 areas, the highest risk level areas in healthcare facilities as determined by the NF S standard.

The fleece laminated surface of both Humancare and Sanitas delivers targeted hygienic features, inhibiting the growth of bacteria, fungi, germs, noroviruses, and multi-resistant pathogens. Additionally, each surface can be spray disinfected, having been successfully tested for compatibility with numerous disinfectant products.

Octave Humancare and Sanitas are solid to the core, manufactured with the high-quality Mineral Wool of Germany’s Odenwald Mountains. Each product possesses a dense core, meaning extremely low filtering effects and minimal dirt, dust, and debris settlement over time. Additionally, this high-quality core delivers excellent acoustical properties in both sound absorption and sound attenuation. The 0.85 NRC value of Octave Humancare make this product particularly well-suited in areas where speech intelligibility and optimized acoustics are crucial, including patient rooms and recovery wards.

Another option, the OWAtecta range is a complete offering of metal ceiling systems providing a hygienic solution. Available soon in the US, the seamless surface of OWA’s L0, unperforated metal ceilings are particularly suited for operating rooms and intensive care units. In a series of tests done in accordance with the German Society of Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM)*, these OWAtecta ceilings saw a reduction in 6 log levels for each tested germ species tested against**. This exceeds the 5-log level reduction requirement for disinfection preparation.

OWA has solutions to not only dramatically decrease pathogens but improve the overall ambiance of the space. We protect from the core. Our mineral-wool and metal product options provide premium products at a cost-effective price point. Just as modern construction philosophies have changed, we to have adapted our product developments to providing healthy environments.

* Tests were conducted by the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene at the Philipps University of Marburg under the direction of Prof. Dr. R. Mutters.

** Eight test germ species were used in the stress test for disinfection procedures:

– Staphylococcus aureus – Pseudomonas aeruginosa

– Enterococcus faecium – Proteus mirabilis

– Enterococcus hirae – Candida albicans

– Escherichia coli – Aspergillus niger