CLIENT: Office Refurbishment Company
INDUSTRY: Construction
Dry lining is a common method of dividing up large interior spaces and cosmetically finishing rough walls. The technique is known for its speed of installation, high quality finish and lower cost than structural brick or block work. However, installing doorways and window frames is costly because it requires skilled carpenters or metalworkers.
The client was a small office refurbishment company. They asked for a door and window framing system that could be installed over the dry lining within an aperture. The framing had to pass a 30 minute fire barrier test and offer a minimum of 25dB sound insulation. In addition to this the finish had to be able to be specified in any of the Ral colours and use proprietary door furniture used in metal partition systems. The final design featured two interlocking aluminium frame profiles, an aluminium glazing profile and an interlocking aluminium bracket profile. Fire rating and sound proofing were achieved by using proprietary intumescent fire seals and gaskets. The frame overlapped the dry lining wall and could therefore be fitted after the wall was decorated.
The frame was self adjusting and could be used with all the common thickness of partition wall in use. The frame was engineered for mitre jointing at the corners and could be easily assembled on site if required. The frame could be adapted into a window frame by installing the glazing pane into the frame and then retaining with the snap fit glazing profile. The system was later extended with the addition of a glazed door.
The challenge for the door was to have almost full width glazing without affecting structural integrity.
