Metal building drop ceiling

Abstract

An insulated drop ceiling is provided for a metal building having spaced apart metal purlins with conduit or other structure extending across the purlins. Plastic support members are clipped to the purlins, and have an upper channel to accommodate the conduit, and a lower channel to support ceiling panels from the purlins and below the conduit.

1 . An insulated drop ceiling for a building, comprising:
 a plurality of spaced apart metal purlins having upper and lower flanges;   a metal roof attached to the upper flanges of the purlins;   at least one conduit extending adjacent and beneath the lower flanges of the purlins;   a plurality of clips clipped onto the lower flanges of the purlins;   panel support members attached to the clips; and   ceiling panels supported by the support members so as to be attached in spaced relation to the bottom flanges of the purlins;   a first space between the metal roof and the panels to receive insulation; and   a second space between the purlins and the panels through which the conduit passes.   
   
   
       2 . The insulated ceiling of  claim 1  wherein the support members each include upper, middle and lower arms, and wherein the upper arms are connected to the clip, the upper and middle arms define the second space, and the middle and lower arms defining a channel there between to receive an edge of one of the panels. 
   
   
       3 . The insulated ceiling of  claim 2  wherein the channel is below the second space. 
   
   
       4 . The insulated ceiling of  claim 1  wherein each support member includes a female portion and a male portion joined to form a channel for receiving an edge of the panel. 
   
   
       5 . The insulated ceiling of  claim 1  wherein the panel is mechanically attached to the purlin without the use of penetrating fasteners. 
   
   
       6 . The insulated ceiling of  claim 1  wherein the second space is at least one inch in height. 
   
   
       7 . A method of building an insulated drop ceiling, comprising:
 supporting purlins in a spaced apart orientation, each purlin having upper and lower flanges;   extending a conduit adjacent the lower flanges of the purlins;   attaching a metal roof to the upper flanges of the purlins;   mounting ceiling panels to the lower flanges of the purlins and below the conduit, without the use of penetrating fasteners, so as to define a space between the roof and the ceiling panel; and   adding insulation in the space.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising attaching panel support members to each purlin to support the panels between adjacent purlins. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising supporting opposite edges of each panel with a support member attached to the lower flange of the purlins. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising clipping the support member to the lower flange of the purlins. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the support member spaces the panel below the conduit. 
   
   
       12 . A device to support a ceiling panel in a building having roof purlins with upper and lower flanges and a conduit adjacent the lower flanges, the device comprising:
 a first arm attachable to a lower flange of the purlins;   a second arm spaced downwardly from the first arm;   a third arm spaced downwardly from the second arm;   the second and third arms defining a channel adapted to receive an edge of the ceiling panel so as to support the panel beneath the conduit.   
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 12  wherein the first and second arms are formed in an upper portion and the third arm is formed in a lower portion connected to the upper portion. 
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 12  wherein the second arm is spaced at least one inch beneath the first arm. 
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 12  wherein the first and second arms define a space to accommodate the conduit between the purlin and the ceiling panel.