place between ceiling and screed
Hmm, the question is what kind of floor construction he has.
If, for example, 62mm of screed surrounds the underfloor heating and there is only 40mm of floor insulation underneath, it becomes difficult to hide a pipe with a slope inside without adjusting the ceiling accordingly, or the screed would have to be thinner. None of this is ideal.
In that case, the boxing is basically just a visual restriction.