Piano Works Ceiling Tiles

East Rochester, NY

As seen on Animal Planet’s “Tanked,” Season 14, Episode 8 “The Amazing Piano Tank”

CLI Scope: Design / Fabrication

For the better part of the 20th century, the Piano Works complex was one of the largest piano manufacturers in the country, producing more than 700 pianos each week. In the 1990s, the facilities were converted to office and retail spaces.

The design concept arose primarily as a response to the history of the space, but as well to the perfect proportional overlay of sheet music into the existing coffered ceiling spaces. Each tile is uniquely designed to contain the notes and layout of a playable piano score. The notes and staves are cut from 16 ga aluminum, appearing black when up lit and white when the space above is illuminated. The aesthetic of the ceiling tiles is complementary to the theme of the space, the fundamental purpose of which being the display of the grand piano fish tank.