High walls benefit from strength of Fermacell

Fermacell wall board is at the heart of Brockington Sports Hall, the curved metal cladding making it a distinctive facility within thestate-of-the-art Brockington College in Leicestershire.

This striking three-storey school has 8,400 sq. metres of internal floor space and was designed by Building Design Partnership (BDP).

It features a central heart space – consisting of the dining and assembly area – that runs up through the school as an open atrium. The building is designed to provide a flexible, adaptable space for teaching in the 21st century.

The sports hall, which took 12 months to build, occupies 594 square metres with 9.6m high walls. The vast expanse of walling is notable for the smooth blemish free surface which has been achieved using two layers of 12.5mm Fermacell board installed horizontally.

Fermacell is inherently stronger than conventional plasterboard and, as well as its strength and acoustic properties, it also provides fire, impact and moisture resistance.

The strength comes from its gypsum matrix, which is reinforced with recycled paper and, because of its higher density, is far more effective in reducing sound transmission.

It is simple to install – although the technique is slightly different to plasterboard – and does not need a wet plaster skim to produce a suitable surface for painting.

Subcontractors DEN Building Finishes Ltd of Wigston in Leicestershire, undertook the installation of the Fermacell and were impressed with the technical support and advice provided by Xella Dry Lining Systems, manufacturers of the board.

Fermacell is inherently stronger than conventional plasterboard and, as well as its strength and acoustic properties, it also provides fire, impact and moisture resistance. The strength  comes from its gypsum matrix, which is reinforced with recycled paper and, because of its higher density, is far more effective in reducing sound transmission.

DEN Managing Director Vance Kearney commented: “Another product had initially been specified for the sports hall walls, but we were far from happy with the technical support, or speed of response given by that company. When we approached Fermacell, they pulled out all the stops. From site survey, a detailed project specification was provided in days and full height – 9.6m – steel studwork was delivered shortly after from Germany to site.

“The Fermacell boards were laid horizontally onto the Protektor standard metal stud system, utilising two layers of 12.5m Fermacell board. The speed of installation of Fermacell board with its quick and simple system, helped bring the project back on track,” he said.

Main contractors on the £20 million new-build college were Marriott Construction, part of Kier Group. The crescent shaped scheme comprises three galleried teaching levels grouped around a central social and resource space comprising dining and assembly areas, offices and library. The sports hall, equipped with impressive changing facilities, is located on the 1st floor of the building, supported on a concrete frame cantilevering over 4 metres over the main entrance.

BDP Architect Associate Paul Owen commented: “The total build cost of the project was circa £15m and has been designed to maximise the available flexible space within the College. This building really does provide a wonderfully versatile working environment.”

The old Brockington School was demolished and the new building erected on the site. Catering for 900 children aged 10-14, it is the only Church of England Voluntary Aided Secondary High School in the County of Leicestershire, with origins dating back to 1759.

Project: Sports Hall at Brockington College, Leicester
Architect: BDP
Main Contractors: Marriott Construction, part of Kier Group.

Fermacell at the heart of new Evesham Leisure Centre

More than 20,000 square metres of Fermacell board has been used in three different types of application within a superb new £10.75 leisure Centre complex built for Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire.

Evesham Leisure Centre’s facilities include a 25 metre swimming pool and a 12 metre studio pool. Both pools partition walls are lined with Fermacell Powerpanel H2O boards, which provide an ideal base for tiling and other wall finishes. In addition, 12.5mm Fermacell board has also been utilised as an external backing board for the building’s cladding, as well as on many of the interior walls.

The aesthetically pleasing building – designed by project architects Roberts Limbrick – features a dramatic green, copper clad curved entrance and climbing wall enclosure providing a unique, recognisable focus to the 4,500 m2 Centre, which has been developed to replace an outdated facility opened more than 30 years ago.

Peter Head, Project Manager with Wychavon District Council, commented: “The Centre opened to the public on the 7th September. Facilities within the old building had become rather tired – particularly the swimming pool and changing spaces.

“The new facilities are first class. Apart from a slightly wider main pool we have incorporated a studio pool, which has a moveable floor, and can be used for a wide range of activities including aqua aerobics, fit-swim sessions, parent and baby classes, disability groups and for youngsters learning to swim.”

“Most of the Centre’s upstairs internal walls are made from a combination of Fermacell and steel stud and the contractor was able to install them quickly. When Fermacell is fully prepared it provides a very good finish.”

Facilities

The main entrance to the Centre leads directly to the main foyer space which contains a dramatic climbing wall, reception and café with views directly into the pool area and up to the fitness suite above. The reception area leads to a multi purpose room providing facilities for dance, exercise classes, soft play and functions. The swimming pools, wet health suite, sports hall and changing facilities are also on this floor.

A large changing village with facilities for group and accessible changing leads to a 25m x 5-lane level deck Community Pool, a seperate12m x 7m level deck studio pool, with movable floor for flexibility of use and the wet health suite which includes two spa pools, a steam room and sauna. Spectator access to the main pool is provided direct from the café area. The sports hall provides 4 badminton courts and facilities for basketball, five-a-side football, gymnastics, dance and exhibitions) with associated storage and dry changing. The warm colour and high level birch cladding give the space a high quality and attractive feel and contrast with the blue
Granwood flooring.

Next to the reception, lift and stair access is provided to the first floor area which includes a fitness suite with space for up to 125 stations and three treatment rooms offering a range of beauty treatments. A large aerobics studio with storage is also provided, together with facilities for staff.

John McCabe, Project Manager or main contractor Galliford Try, commented: “We specified the use of Fermacell on this project. One of its strengths is that it is ideally suited to the environment being made from recycled materials and being 100% recyclable. Running along the ground and first floors are 16 feet radius walls comprising steel Protektor track and Fermacell.”

Peter Newth, Associate Director with Roberts Limbrick commented: “Externally, the building form was developed to provide an important, evocative community leisure building for Evesham, whilst respecting its important position. There are no immediate neighbouring buildings with which the building must relate and, therefore, the building elevations were designed to create a dynamic, exciting high quality and low maintenance building enclosure with materials selected with regard to durability and quality of appearance in the long term.

“We took particular care to make the activities visible throughout the building and there are opportunities to view into all the main spaces from the adjacent circulation.

“All spaces within the Centre are designed to be fully accessible to all and access to the main pool includes both hoist and stepped access. Ceiling mounted trackway hoists are also provided to two dedicated changing facilities.

“Many environmental features are incorporated include the use of CHP (with waste heat utilised to heat the swimming pools), automated lighting control and ventilation heat recovery. Light tubes through the roof provide natural lighting to many internal spaces and roof mounted ‘wind catchers’ provide natural ventilation to the sports hall.

“Internally Fermacell boards (with glued joints) were used by the contractor Galliford Try, for lightweight wall as these would achieve all the requirements for fire, acoustics and severe duty rating using a single board rather than using the many different combination of boards needed with other systems. This enabled partition walls to be constructed both rapidly and to the required standard providing a very high quality, robust finish throughout the first floor. A high standard of finish is provided throughout with a restrained but dateless colour palette of blues, white and natural timber.”

“Wall materials are a combination of glass, natural cedar, patinated copper standing seam cladding, polyester powder coated cladding and framing and local colour stock facing brick.

“It is capped by a polyester powder coated standing seam roof and fascias colour matched to the copper cladding. The external glazing to the pool hall, café and climbing area provides a highly visible ‘showcase’ of the internal facilities.”

The extensive parking facilities are to be landscaped to incorporate foraging routes for migratory bats and a new bat enclosure provides mitigation for habitat lost as a result of the demolition of the former depot buildings. Permeable block paving provides attenuated run off from the parking areas.

Fermacell’s Area Sales Manager (South West and West Midlands) David Prout commented: “This project clearly demonstrates the versatility of Fermacell boards. Not only can they be used on the creation of internal walls, but they are being increasingly recognised as a cost-effective weatherboard for vented and EPS rainscreen solutions.

“In addition, the Fermacell Powerpanel H2O boards are proving to be the ideal solution for wetroom applications including: bathrooms, hospitals, hotels, kitchens, leisure centres and, of course, swimming pools,” he concluded.

Project: Evesham Leisure Centre, Worcestershire
Architect: Roberts Limbrick Main 

Contractors: Galliford Try.

Fermacell provides outstanding performance in new Gateway Building

More than 20,000 m² of Fermacell dry lining board has been used in the construction of the new £5.6 million Gateway Building at the University of Cumbria, Lancaster Campus.

Not only was Fermacell selected for the internal walls but has – for the first time on a major project in this country – been utilised as an external carrier board for the structure’s rainscreen cladding.

Whilst Fermacell has been widely used in rainscreen applications on timber frame constructions throughout Europe for the past 20 years, it has not – until now – been marketed for such an application in the UK.

The environmentally friendly design of the University of Cumbria incorporates natural ventilation and the integration – wherever possible – of local natural materials such as Cumbrian Stone and Zinc cladding.

Construction of the Gateway began in March 2007. It is located opposite the Keep at the top of the main driveway into campus and stands on the site once occupied by Harrison Lodge and Princess Margaret Hall.

The main reception area for the Campus has also moved into the Gateway from its previous location in the Keep.

Keith Cheshire, project architect with Wilson Mason architects commented: “The Gateway is the flagship and focal point of the Lancaster Campus and designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘very good’ rating. Prior to its construction, many student services were disparately spread out across the campus, but are now to be found under one roof.

“The structure has four floors each extending to around 800m2 and the main external feature is a 10m cantilever. Within the complex is a student welfare services arena, a central campus catering outlet and office accommodation for 70 people.

“The lower ground floor contains the catering and kitchen facilities, whilst the ground floor is a ‘one-stop’ shop known as the ‘I-Zone’ which acts as a hub for all student inquiries regarding university administration such as finance, student loans and accommodation through to medical advice. There is also a café on this level. Facilities on the first floor ‘Skills Zone’ comprise a resource zone for the students and private appointment rooms where they can talk to members of staff.

“The top floor incorporates two first class catering facilities Room 301 and VIEW which, as the name suggests, has with superb views overlooking the city of Lancaster and Morecambe Bay. “Throughout the building are a substantial number of feature walls incorporating the Fermacell product. One wall of particular note – by the main staircase – runs from ground floor to roof level and incorporates lighting effects.

All the bulkheads and trims are also made from Fermacell. “Among the advantages of using Fermacell is the level of SFT surface treatment that can be achieved and the durability of the product. A student building is subjected to more than its fair share of knocks and it’s important hat the walls can withstand such day-to-day treatment.”

Project Manager Russell Calvert of main contractors Pinington Limited of Lancaster, commented: “The building is ostensibly designed to provide student support services. Fermacell’s durability is ideal in an environment in which knocks are inevitably going to take place.”

Fermacell Area Manager Phil Mattatia from Fermacell commented: “The use of 12.5mm Fermacell as an external backer board proved very successful in this application. It was exposed to the rain for nearly three months before the rainscreen cladding was installed and coped admirably with the conditions.

“Rigorous testing of Fermacell as an external backing board was undertaken last year at the Taylor Woodrow Technology Centre in Leighton Buzzard in accordance with strict guidelines set down by the CWCT (Centre for Windows and Cladding Technology).“No other competitive board systems – to our knowledge – have gone through this test process, which has been developed specifically for rainscreen evaluation.

Fermacell passed the tests with flying colours and, given it is up to 50% cheaper per m2 when compared with established products, we anticipate a growing demand for Fermacell being used in external applications.” The University of Cumbria has more than 15,000 students at campuses and sites in Carlisle, Ambleside, Penrith, Lancaster, Whitehaven, Barrow and London. It provides a wide range of degree courses in subjects including business, the arts, teaching, nursing, outdoor studies and sport, to name just a few. To find out more, visit the website at http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/.

Project: Gateway Building at The University of Cumbria
Architect: Wilson Mason and Partners
Main Contractors: Pinnington Limited.

Fermacell’s environmental credentials secured eco-friendly British primary school project

The environmental methods of manufacture and 100% recyclability of Fermacell partitioning boards have led to the use of the product in the first British primary school to be built with a totally eco friendly innovative timber panel system made from recycled wood cuttings.

The pioneering construction of the school will feature 600 Eurban panels of cross laminated layers of timber from sustainably managed forests in Switzerland.

Initially the internal walls in the new St Agnes C of E Primary School in Longsight, Manchester, were to be of painted timber. However, the environmental credentials of Fermacell convinced architects and contractors to install 3,000 sq m of the fibre re-inforced gypsum board to benefit from its strength, impact resistance, and fire and acoustic qualities.

The pioneering construction of the school will feature 600 Eurban panels of cross laminated layers of timber from sustainably managed forests in Switzerland. Off cuts from the saw milling industry are being fabricated into load bearing timbercomponents and shipped to Manchester and positioned by crane and connected together, eliminating the need for concrete and steel to achieve a ground breaking approach to construction.

The £6.2million building will house 270 primary school children and a further 90 pre school children in nine classrooms on three levels.

It will also feature a roof top playground. Fermacell’s Phil Mattatia says: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project. The overall objective has been to achieve an impressive environmental performance with a reduced carbon footprint. The timber panel system is achieving this, and our partitioning is giving added benefits while meeting the environmental targets.”

Project: St Agnes C of E Primary School, Manchester
Architect: Robinson Architects
Main Contractors: Willmott Dixon.

Fermacell used in East Anglia’s new education quarter initıative

One of the country’s most imposing university buildings incorporates 12,000m² of environmentally friendly Fermacell board.

The resplendent and gently curving six storey University Campus Suffolk (UCS) waterfront building – located alongside the Orwell Key – has been designed by architects RMJM.

Martin Lardner Burke from RMJM commented: “The simplicity and flexibility of the Fermacell system allowed us to easily meet and overcome requirements and potential issues on site. The holistic approach and clear communication and support from the Fermacell team was both professional and timely.”

The development is Suffolk’s first University and is a joint initiative between the Universities of East Anglia and Essex. The scheme has established a new ‘Education Quarter’ in Ipswich through the relocation of the existing college of further education and the creation of a new university student hub and administration HQ.

Main contractors on the scheme were Willmott Dixon Construction, with Essex-based BG Contracts sub contractors and installers of the Fermacell boards.

Fermacell is a product that Willmott Dixon has used on various projects and seems to meet all the requirements. A spokesman commented: “Through the construction stage it is robust enough to take the day-to-day knocks of site conditions.

“It eliminates all the coordination and setting out issues for FFE items that need fixing to the walls, giving the Client and design teams greater scope. As dry lining systems go, it is certainly one of the better ones.”

Tim Egan, Project Manager for BG Contracts commented: “Fermacell ticked all the right boxes for the client, as usual. BG Contracts value engineered it into the LIFT (health) initiatives some years ago and have been a strong proponent since.

We have now successfully taken it with us into the education sector and will continue to advocate its use in future projects.”

The hub has been awarded an ‘excellent’ rating by BREEAM (BRE’s Environmental Assessment method), which is the world’s longest established and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. Fermacell’s environmental credentials certainly contributed to this award.

The centre pieces of the building are two art lecture theatres – each able to accommodate 140 people located on the ground floor. This level also comprises an impressive reception area and restaurant, as well as two exhibition areas.

These will be made available to host a wide range of events and shows and the general public will have access to them. A welcome addition to the ground floor will be a 400 square metre restaurant facility.

Throughout the building are a further three 80, and six 60 seater classrooms with a host of inter-changeable rooms available.

Fermacell was specified for the internal walling because of its durability and robustness – key in a building that will endure heavy footfall and likely to be subjected to the knocks that come with this.

Simple to install – although the technique is slightly different to plasterboard – Fermacell does not need a wet plaster skim to produce a suitable surface for painting.

It is inherently stronger than conventional plasterboard and, as well as its strength and acoustic properties, it also provides fire, impact and moisture resistance. The strength comes from its gypsum matrix, which is reinforced with recycled paper and, because of its higher density, is far more effective in reducing sound transmission.

With plasterboard, any damage is likely to result in the need to replace affected panels, but with Fermacell a cost-effective and speedy repair can be undertaken.

New schools are now covered by Requirement E4 from Part E of the Building Regulations and Building Bulletin 93 contains guidance on how to achieve requirements for sound insulation, reverberation time and internal ambient noise by complying with the standards laid down.

Partition walls will need to attain the performance levels deemed necessary for a particular application area. For example, a music room will need additional sound proofing to dampen the transfer of sound to any adjoining classrooms.

Another major benefit of utilising 12.5mm Fermacell board is the level of fire resistance that it can provide. Depending on the system it is used in conjunction with, Fermacell can provide fire resistance solutions from 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Fermacell Technical Manager Andy Richardson commented: “The level of fire protection will depend on a number of factors. These include whether the Fermacell boards are integrated within a timber or steel structure, if there is insulation present and the height of the walls. We can react very quickly to given design requirements and provide solutions for walls up to 15 metres high.”

This scheme was the first of three planned phases with the second stage being located further along Orwell Quay, which is to be named University Quay. It will comprise private residential, student accommodation and an educational quarter which will include IT laboratories, health rooms, specialist areas and the all important student bar.

A Giant Fermacell puzzle sounds good

A concert hall, recording studios and rehearsal rooms – you might think they fit together perfectly. But think again and it looks like a recipe for disaster. Because how are you supposed to record or mix a CD in peace in a recording studio when next door there's a brass band rehearsing or a full orchestra and choir performing "Ode to Joy"? For the walls and ceilings of the concert hall, several layers of Fermacell boards were firstshaped and glued or clamped together before the surface was finally completed. So when it came to building a new concert hall for Danmarks Radio in Copenhagen, issues of acoustics and noise insulation were at the top of the agenda right from the start.

The spectacular 1,800- seat hall was not going to be easy to build in the first place. The plans of French star architect Jean Nouvel provided for a room with no signs of symmetry, one that makes more use of curves and arcs than right angles. In their search for a building material capable of creating such challenging shapes – and above all one that did not generate natural vibrations which would be transmitted to neighbouring rooms – the planners hit upon Fermacell gypsum fibreboards. Detailed planning and fabrication were handled by Voringer, a company based in Töging, Upper Bavaria, which has developed a process to shape the boards. A computer model of the room with its more than 33,000 square metres of wall and ceiling area was converted into a gigantic jigsaw puzzle made up of 8,600 different pieces.

The initially flat Fermacell boards were shaped to the required radii and screwed and glued together to form multi-layer elements. All the parts were then numbered and packaged before being shipped north from southern Germany. The total weight of the consignment was around 330 tonnes. During installation on site in Copenhagen, a job similarly carried out by a southern German firm, Lindner AG from Arnstorf, there was another issue to deal with. In order to ensure that the complete interior finishing of the concert hall was acoustically decoupled, the substructure, which according to the initial plans was to be made of steel, was also constructed from gypsum fibre – an idea proposed by Voringer which eventually won out.

"It seems we won the contract because we quoted for something different from what was wanted," says a proud company founder Franz Voringer. In the end, the elements were fixed to gypsum fibre frames like the planks of a ship. Up to five layers of gypsum fibreboards weighing up to100 kilograms per square metre were used. It was a three-dimensional puzzle of giant proportions. To provide the flexibility to respond to various acoustic requirements, a 75-tonne height-adjustable ceiling canopy, also covered with Fermacell boards, was installed above the orchestra floor. As the main ceiling is also panelled with gypsum fibreboards and there are Fermacell screed elements beneath the parquet floor, literally the entire hall will be enclosed by acoustically decoupled Fermacell products. From an acoustic point of view, it will be a building within a building from which no noise or vibrations can penetrate to neighbouring rooms.

Thanks to the good fire protection properties of the gypsum fibreboards,the hall will provide a particularly high degree of safety in addition to its appealing architecture and excellent acoustics. So it’s a job well done for Fermacell in Copenhagen. The concert hall is set to be officially opened in January 2009 when Queen Margrethe II will give the royal seal of approval for Danmarks Radio’s new premises.

Fermacell at the heart of new research facility

A key component within the new £34 million AV Hill research facility at The University of Manchester is Fermacell dry lining board, manufactured by Xella Dry Lining Systems.

Within the building the XPR range of internal partition systems developed by Xella, Protektor and Rockwool has been used. XPR partitions deliver the highest levels of environmental care and sustainability.The systems components comprise high impact boards, robust metal studs and a thermal/acoustic wool insulation core combining to give excellent sound and fire protection with a severe duty rating.

The six-storey building incorporates laboratories, meeting rooms; cellular offices and open plan areas for researchers. It will house the University’s Life Science and Medical facilities for Bio-Medical Science Research.

Built between the existing Michael Smith Building, Core Technology Facility and Stopford Building; each neighbouring structure can be accessed via link bridges at third floor level.

Designed by Wilson Mason and Partners, the AV Hill building was orchestrated by Main Contractors Morgan Ashurst. The building is approximately 70m long and 40m wide and occupies over 9465 m2 gross internal areas.

Alan Williams, Partner Architect at Wilson Mason, commented: "The University wanted a high quality day lit building. The inclusion of the light well at the heart of the building delivers daylight to all levels. The light well extends the full height of the building and is upto 30m high."

Fermacell approved contractor Cheshire-based Total Fire Stopping Systems, worked alongside the Architect to develop the use of Fermacell and XPR for the scheme.

Director Clare Church commented: “The composition of XPR Fermacell enabled us to commence on site six months before the building envelope was watertight and thereby accelerate the programme. “We have completed a range of installations, standard partition XPR W1; Acoustic partition XPR W3; Shaft wall; Security walls and wall linings to a height of 26 metres integrating large slot windows and link bridges. “The fact that Fermacell combined all the attributes we were looking for in one board, rather than having to select multiple types of board on site, avoids the risk of incorrect board selection. “My colleague Neil Fairhurst managed the Partitions & Ceiling packages and it’s great to see a large project from a bare concrete frame to the finished article creating a “wow factor” with a minimalist concept.”

Maurice Cooper of Morgan Ashurst said: “Having an Approved knowledgeable Fermacell contractor was paramount. The Fermacell board was selected for a number of reasons including quicker installation and subsequent Client alterations are easily managed, its environmentally friendly properties, 100% recyclable, water and impact resistance together with the inherent strength for direct fixing of heavy loads i.e. cupboards and shelving without the need for noggins or plywood.”

Phil Mattatia, Sales Manager with Xella Dry Lining Systems, said that the XPR system offers a range of systems of varying thicknesses and performances. “This versatility assists the Architect when specifying products for fire, acoustics, strength, and eliminates plastering trades with a BBA approval and longevity of 30 years. Our approved contractor Total Firestopping Systems have given the Client, Architect and Main Contractor confidence tackling difficult aspects such as the Atrium wall, lining 26 metre columns and the gable ends,” he concluded.

Project: AV Hill research facility at The University of Manchester
Architect:Wilson Mason and Partners
Main Contractors: Morgan Ashurst.