Week 5

 Walls

Gina Christopher

FRAMING SYSTEMS 

There are 3 main types of framing systems: stud walls, concrete and masonry bearing walls: and structural frame walls. Stud walls can be built from wood or light-gauge steel. The standard size for stud walls is 2x4 or 2x6 with spacing of 12",16" or 24" oc. Concrete and masonry bearing walls are made from brick, stone or reinforced cement. This framing system is challenging to work with when placing electrical wiring, boxes, switches, penetrations of plumbing and HVAC, and mounting materials such as artwork. The structural frame, column and beam systems can be in-filled in a variety of ways including stud-wall infill, insulation-panel infill, and other materials. Structural insulation panels can be made from wood or steel. Exterior walls are insulted in most parts of the U.S. and interior walls contain insulation for acoustical purposes.  

INSULATION 

The three main types of insulation include batt insulation, cellulose insulation, and rigid board insulation. Alternative materials used for insulation include recycled paper, recycled blue jeans, and natural fibers like lamb's wool. Condensation within the wall cavity occurs when there is a substantial difference in temperature between the inside and the outside. The vapor retarder is installed in the wall toward the warmer side; this can vary depending on the climate zone. 

INTERIOR SUBSTRATE MATERIALS 

The final component of the sustainable wall assembly consists of the interior finish material. Gypsum Wallboard is the most commonly used interior wall substrate. There are also wallboards that are water resistant, abuse resistant, foil backed and pre-finished. Plaster is more sustainable but more labor intensive. Plaster is not common anymore because there are very few people who know how to do it.  

WALL FINISH (INTERIOR)

Interior wall finished including paint, tile, wood, brick/stone, wall textiles, green walls, and moldings/trim work. Paints and coatings are nearly always used in some form on the interior surfaces of a building. In a wet location, tile most be installed over cement board to avoid water penetration into the framing materials and insulation of the wall. Many forms of wood are used as a wall finish, including full wad panels, wainscots, and in conjunction with other materials. Brick and stone can used as an interior wall finish in one of two ways: as a continuation of the exterior wall, or as a decorative applied finish. For acoustical purposes, fabric, paper, or carpeting may be used on a wall surface. A green wall is a wall that integrates plants, these are good for improving air quality. Molding is referred to as trim and are used to conceal transitions between perpendicular surfaces. Oftentimes, a designer will provide built-in furniture pieces such as bookcases, cabinets and other storage solutions. These built-in units are called casework. Designers should be aware of joinery types, materials used for casework and hardware options. These choices must be consistent with the design intent of the project. 

INTERIOR DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Designers need to know how to design partitions for specific interior conditions. These conditions include walls to control noise and prevent sound transmission, and walls to maintain fire separation and prevent the rapid spread of fire between spaces. To control noise and sound transmission from one space to the next, acoustical partitions should be used. Based on the use of a space, specific fire rating may be required. These might be one-hour, two-hour or even three-hour fire-rated partitions. Interior designers cannot legally change the structure of building; they must consult an architect or engineer. New designers are fond of curved walls. It is important to consider of tight of a radius the wall is and what materials intended to be used.

DOORS & WINDOWS 

Doors are most commonly made from wood or steel. Doors consist of some standard parts including panels, stiles, and rails. Common door configurations include flush, 6=panel, louver, glazed, dutch, and vision. The most common door types are swinging and sliding. Similar to doors, windows are generally made from wood or metal. Aluminum and steel are used to make interior windows. Different operational configurations of windows include fixed, casement, double-hung, jalousie, sliding, bay window, awning, and hopper. In a sustainable building, windows and doors are among the most important components of the building envelope. Most air leakage occurs around window and door openings. A variety of construction documents are used to indicate the types of partitions in a building and the finishes they contain. A wall schedule is used to describe the wall types used within a given project. A finish schedule uses a table format to communicate all information about the interior finishes and details of every room within a project. A variation on this sometimes used by interior designers in the finish plan. 

LEED CI RATING SYSTEM 

Material and finish selections for interior walls can contribute to LEED certification in a variety of ways. LEED CI rating systems fall under 2 categories: materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. 

STEELCASE PARTITION CASE STUDY

As I was going through the Steelcase website, I found a lot of great examples of privacy partitions. Privacy is very important for workspaces and public spaces to support wellbeing. Flexible privacy partitions are very useful for spaces such as offices. I found it very beneficial to look at these partitions because we are designing an office space in our studio class right now.