We spoke to Elsis Ltd, who is the representative of Barrisol Stretch Ceilings in Northern Cyprus, in order to get more information on this application as it has added a modern perspective to architectural and interior architectural designs. You can contact Elsis Ltd for further details and questions.

 

• Hello. Firstly, can you tell us about your firm, Elsis Ltd?

Our company started its activities in the field of Electrical Contracting in Lefkosa in 1985. After a while we started both wholesale and retail sales of electrical materials. With the business growing over the years, we became one of the few companies to receive a “1st Class Electrical Contracting Certificate” authorised by Kibtek, based on criteria determined by the Electrical Contractors Association. Since then we have accomplished many projects, both large and small, all over the island. We have always followed technological enhancements closely because we have an innovative approach. For instance, we are one of the first companies to introduce and apply solar panel systems on the island. With more than 35 years in the sector, today we have a team of 25 people, three of whom are engineers, including technicians, operators and members of management and also all the necessary tools and equipment related to our field.
We select all the products we sell from world famous brands and present them to customers in line with the value we give to quality. These include Hager, for which we have been a dealer for more than 20 years, and other brands such as Fermax, Marshall Tufflex, Sharp and Barrisol.

 

• You are the first company to introduce and apply Barrisol products on the island, what exactly is Barrisol and when did this venture begin?

İ must begin by saying that Barrisol is the brand name of a PVC stretch ceiling material manufactured for the first time in the world by the company Normalu SA.
The Normalu Company was established in 1967 by Mr Farnand Shermer in France, with the commercialisation of two licenses for aluminium rail systems. The company manufactured its first Stretch ceiling in 1969 and produced its first licenced stretch ceiling under the brand Barrisol in 1975. Although there are many brands today, this material is called Barrisol instead of PVC stretch ceiling.
PVC stretch ceiling is the technique of stretching and shaping Barrisol sheets with polymer properties onto special concealed aluminium rails with heat. Due to its unique form, it is heat resistant, can be removed easily, recycled and comes in many different colours and textures. It can be applied on flat, circular or other geometrically shaped ceilings, as well as radial applications such as vaults and domes. Thanks to its flexibility, it offers the possibility to create original and unique designs in every project.

 

• As a result of developing Technologies, Barrisol offers a wide range of products in its new catalogue. How does Barrisol develop its products?

Barrisol products are environmentally friendly and are developed within stringent safety guidelines. 50 years later, the Barrisol brand we know today has grown stronger with its improvements based on performance, technique, productivity and aesthetical principles. The entire innovated Barrisol collection, which now has more than 80 licensed products, consists of 12 choices, more than 20 unique stretch ceiling systems and more than 250 colour options.
Barrisol Normalu, helps shape new industry standards and procedures by using the latest technological enhancements to continuously improve and develop its product range and strengthen the company’s reputation as a World leader in stretch ceilings.

 

• How are Barrisol applications applied and where are they preferably used?

A Barrisol stretch ceiling and Wall is installed on an existing ceiling by an approved Barrisol fitter. The Barrisol sheet can be fixed at any height of the plenum with a minimum of 1.5 cm and unlimited maximum length. We can say that there are almost no building restrictions for Barrisol applications except for saunas because it can be applied in any place you can think of in any form and design. There are many examples in offices, homes, bars, swimming schools, museums and even on cruise ships.


 

• You previously mentioned choices for Barrisol. What are the options you can offer?

Barrisol can produce options according to needs, design and building under 12 main headings and 40 subheadings.  For example, in public places such as museums, airports, swimming pools, restaurants or music venues, Barrisol Acoustics offers choices to absorb sounds and reduce noise pollution. Or Barrisol Light products provide lighting options with a higher light source and a homogeneous light distribution in the desired ratio. Other choices include 3D shapes, air-conditioning, mirrors, textiles, walls, outdoor areas, custom made designs and prints.

 

• What are the advantages of a product like this one?

One of its important advantages is that it can adapt to any surface, any situation, any place and be moulded into any shape. It enables any design, such as horizontal, round, curved, 3D or 2D. Unlike drywall or other suspended ceilings that take days or even months to complete, its installation is very easy, fast and cleaner. It is highly resistant to humidity, condensation, the cold and heat. It is also waterproof and non-flammable.
Barrisol products are completely nature and human friendly, 100% recyclable and do not contain carcinogens. It is easy to clean and doesn’t require any special maintenance. Contrary to what people think, it is resistant to wear and tear unless it is cut with a sharp tool and can stand up to 150kg in weight. You can watch a test video about this on the internet. Since they are composed of memory molecules, they return to their original state and tension after deformation. In addition to thermal insulation, it provides acoustic and lighting as previously mentioned. Other advantages are the aesthetics it adds to rooms and the unlimited possibilities of personal designs that can be created.

 

• Are there other brands that produce stretch ceilings? Is there any particular reason why you chose the Barrisol brand?

Yes, there are other brands and unfortunately they are all referred to as Barrisol in the market. In fact, these manufacturers use the Barrisol name. Tekno Yapi, the authorized representative of Turkey to which we are affiliated, summarised this issue very well:
“Our proverb; imitations keep the original alive! States that imitations only serve the original product. Companies that cannot find a name for their products and use the registered Barrisol brand while selling PVC stretch products only cause unfair competition and disrespect the hard work put it”
This is the most important reason why we chose Barrisol, as it is only the brand name they can imitate, not the quality.