Fermacell gypsum fibreboard

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 cellulose fibres and, because of its higher density, is far more effective in reducing sound transmission.

For the professional builder extending or constructing a house from scratch, Fermacell board provides a number of major benefits over plasterboard. 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. Not having to skim and wait for plaster to dry out can clearly reduce the overall project cost.

Fermacell is strong enough to support radiators, cupboards and shelves without any special screws or reinforcements, therefore builders don’t need to think about secondary support.

However, it is not just walls and ceilings where Fermacell is increasingly utilised. It’s also being used to good effect in flooring systems. An example of this can be found at a luxury Swanage apartment development by Swan Country Homes. The development on Broad Leys is benefiting from a solution utilising the Jupiter Ideal ECO underfloor heating system in conjunction with Fermacell Flooring Elements over suspended timber floors.

Fermacell 2E22 25mm thick Flooring Elements, combined with Jupiter recycled wood fibre heating elements, has created a low-height underfloor heating solution that substantiallyoutperformed the acoustic requirements of Part E of the Building Regulations for separating floors. Not only this, but it has also saved a brick course at each floor level.

Swan Country Homes, developer of the eight expensively appointed two bed apartments and two luxury penthouses, opted for the Jupiter/Fermacell solution in preference to a more complex Robust Detail solution. The latter option required either pipework being installed in between joists and putting a floating floor on top, or laying down a resilient batten, or cradle and batten system with chipboard on top.

This approach has paid dividends for the developer. Only two overlaid components were needed – dramatically reducing build time and providing the perfect substrate for a multitude of floor finishes; whilst maintaining the thermal transparency required by modern efficient underfloor heating systems.

Pre-completion testing produced acoustic performances comfortably exceeding Part E requirements. The minimum airborne sound result was 11dB over the requirement, whilst the minimum impact sound result surpassed the guidelines by 14dB.

Chris Smith, managing director of Jupiter Underfloor Heating, commented: “Our quote appeared to be more expensive than that of the competitors. However, our proposal required only 55mm depth compared to the minimum 100-145mm depth needed for the robust detail construction. By saving a brick course at each floor level, Swan Homes was able to make substantial savings on build cost.

“We worked very closely with Xella Dry Lining Systems on this project in order to come up with an alternative solution to the traditional tried and tested route. Xella Dry Lining Systems was so confident about the performance of the Fermacell/Jupiter proposal that it guaranteed to underwrite the project and, if it failed to meet the agreed criteria, to rectify any problems at its expense.

“Given that the system was unproved, the decision by Mark Swan, managing director of Swan Country Homes, to award the contract to us was admirable.”

Fermacell UFH overlay 2E22 combines the heat transfer benefits of a wet screed system with the speed, installation and flexibility of wooden board systems such as chipboard. Fermacell Flooring Elements have a much lower thermal resistance than chipboard, therefore the response time of the heating system is much quicker, and when you turn the heating down –or off – there is minimal delay. In addition, Fermacell is not an insulator, and so can make UFH systems more efficient – the pipe temperature can be up to 5° lower, saving energy and money.

Mark Swan commented: “Floor heating system components need to be compatible in order to provide an efficient, integrated solution. We certainly achieved that through the jointinitiative put forward by Xella Dry Lining Systems and Jupiter.

“Our primary aim as a company is to create sustainable quality developments with a strong emphasis on social and environmental sustainability. Our holistic approach to housebuilding means that we are open to providing creative solutions such as the floor heating system within the Broad Leys complex.

“Not only did the Fermacell gypsum fibreboard enable us to save a brick course at each level of the building, but it enabled us to comfortably surpass the required acoustic sound test standards laid down by Part E requirements,” he concluded.

Richard Brown is technical executive for Xella Dry Lining Systems.

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