Another triumph of function over form, look up in almost any office building and you'll find these deceptively innocuous-looking panels encroaching upon your overhead space like a physical embodiment of the oppressive forces of commerce.  Created by what may be a giant papier-mâché device, they seem to crumble at the slightest touch or blast from the air conditioner.  They are also magnets for every speck of filth floating around, so the whole layout ends up looking like an upside-down floor in desperate need of a good mop. 

Yes, they hide away all those ugly IT cables and perhaps dampen the howling sounds of a just laid-off worker, but I'd much rather look at the messy tangle of aircon ducts and steam pipes concealed within than at this bland symbol of corporate soullessness.