For a ceiling to be truly functional and effective, in short, value for every rupee invested, it must act as a sealing agent. Here are some possible ways though this is by no means an exhaustive list! The ceiling must fire seal to protect the overhead concrete slab from any fire hazard. The ceiling itself must not collapse during a fire. This ensures safe evacuation of occupants and allows fire personnel to douse the flames before any structural damage can occur to the concrete slab. This prevents any crucial collapse of the building! The ceiling installed on the top floor of a building must heat seal the space to reduce the load on the airconditioning and thereby act as an energy saver. Hence a ceiling must boast low thermal conductivity or high thermal resistivity so as to be an effective heat barrier. The ceiling must noise seal the space from any overhead impact noise or vibration. This means the ceiling itself must not vibrate nor allow any noise emanating from overhead floors to transmit down and disturb the occupants.   Know more about all this in subsequent editions of e-design and at Soundz 2011, the Anutone Annual Expo, 28~30 April at Bengaluru. Entry is by invitation only.