ShaftWall

ShaftWall is a shaft and duct encasement insulation system offering substantial fire protection for the elements and spaces with limited access. The installation process is pretty straightforward since the system can be incorporated in and early phase with no need for scaffolding. It provides protection for stairwells, shaft closures and horizontal membranes which can be built completely from below. It satisfies deflection and air pressure requirements and is in accordance with the Approved Document B of the Building Regulation in the words of boundary requirements, also providing airborne sound insulation of 39 - 53 Rw dB.

Certain consideration should be taken into account upon installation, including:

• service positions should be planned at the frame erection stage; adequate on site control must be provided if installed in an early stage of construction in order of integrating adopted drylining techniques;
• it is advisable that the installation of partitions based on the L/125 at 200 Pa should be verified due to the greater deflection and more flex during installation and usage;
• in case the room layout includes structural steelwork, there might be a slight loss of acoustic performance through the steelwork;
• a rigid non-combustible material between the Z-sections should be installed whenever the continuous support along the floor channel is not provided by the structure;
• an adequate fire barrier should be used to seal all perforations and slots above the head channel;
• the framing should be fixed to the structural framework whenever the ShaftWall and beam or column encasement abut;
• suitable fire-stopping materials should be added to the head of partition voids wherever ShaftWall abuts adjacent floor decking;
• Gyproc Sealant should be used to seal the boards into the framing members whenever pressure conditions are used in ducts or shafts;
• wall acoustic performance may be influenced by the deflection heads which can be minimized by suspended ceilings;
• in any case of recessive movement occurrence, control joints must be considered;
• if access and lift doors need to be installed, they also must meet the fire resistance requirements of the entire construction;
• when accommodating services, every penetration should be carefully planned and positioned in order of avoiding such penetrations to affect the system’s fire resistance and acoustic performance; when installing fire dampers or accompanying services, the weight and size of the damper must be taken into consideration in order of determining its support system
• electrical services should be installed in accordance with BS 7671;