The architectural vocabulary for a new state lottery headquarters building is all about angles. Angles on the exterior. Angles in the shape of the rooms. Angles overhead.

“The angular forms evoke energy and excitement,” says Curtis Owyang, AIA, principal with the design firm, LPAS Architecture + Design. “It represents an important identity for the client.”

This brings us to the ceilings — “folded planes of wood,” as the Owyang describes them, that are also acoustically absorptive. The panels had a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of .90 with added 1-1/2″ insulation.

The main space is the Pavilion. It’s a multi-purpose, flexible-use chamber mainly for lottery commission hearings. Shaped like a football, the room features six ceiling bays at heights ranging from 14′ to 16′. The bays feature angled 48″ by 48″ panel tiles combined with 24″ by 48″ fascia boards — a 4′ by 6′ “checkmark” panel. From the side, the panel assemblies look like checkmarks.

The Pavilion ceilings attenuate sound. Whereas standard acoustic tile is usually flat and available in 2′ by 2′ and 2′ by 4′ sizes, the architect wanted acoustic performance in angled 4′ by 6′ panels. This stretched 9Wood’s capabilities, but certainly didn’t exceed them.