Knauf Drywall re-design cuts partitioning costs

Partition systems manufacturer Knauf Drywall has developed a new standard design for healthcare partitions, delivering more than 52dB(Rw) airborne sound reduction with a single board.

Pioneered at Pontefract Hospital by Knauf Drywall and Blackburn-based dry lining sub-contractor European Commercial Interiors, the 52dB(Rw) partition has now been used at the Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

The use of single-board rather than double-board means that the new partition has reduced the plasterboard supply cost and simplified installation of the most common partition system in both hospitals.

At Pinderfields, subcontractor OCL installed 120,000m2 of dry lining and partitioning, using Knauf Drywall systems.

A large proportion of this is the new 122mm wide 52dB partition which consists of a single layer of 15mm Knauf Soundshield on each side of a 92mm Knauf 'C' Stud, with a layer of 100mm Knauf Crown Acoustic Partition Roll squeezed in the cavity.

Knauf also created a 54dB(Rw) partition for use in specialist healthcare applications; it has two layers of 12.5mm Knauf Soundshield on each side of a 70mm Knauf 'C' Stud with 25mm Knauf Crown Acoustic Partition Roll in the cavity.

The new design still meets the acoustic requirements of Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 08-01 Acoustics.

It provides 60 minutes' fire resistance and has a 'severe' strength rating.

There are about 40 different types of wall at Pinderfields to meet the requirements of sound and fire resistance and radiology.

A hybrid design in corridors allows installation of primary modules and services before apportioning commences.

This bespoke detail allows out-of-sequence construction while maintaining the integrity of the wall structure.

It also eliminates the need to work around services and resolves access issues.

The Pinderfields project also includes Knauf Drywall's Shaftwall system, framed column encasement system, and MF Suspended Ceiling system.

Knauf Drywall's Performer range has system specifications optimised for the most common requirements in residential, commercial, educational and healthcare applications - as well as providing solutions for customised specifications.

Optimised solutions are also available in Knauf Drywall's other partition systems - Easybuild (residential), Silent Spacesaver (high sound resistance with minimum thickness), Isolator (for extremely high sound performance).

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