Off the wall

Gulf wall panels are prefabricated before they are placed into position on site.
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CW talks to industry experts to discover the modern and sustainable ways of building walls.

For centuries, heavy stone, rocks and clay have been used to build walls around the world. Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland, the Great Wall of China and defensive walls of the ancient world were all constructed in the traditional block-like fashion.

But, times have changed and bricks and mortar are no longer the building materials of choice. Energy-saving precast, and drywalls are now the order of the day, particularly in developing regions like the Middle East.

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Clearly, walls have two main purposes - to support roofs and ceilings and to separate rooms. Sound’s simple, but without the right materials and proper installation, building a wall can be a heavy load to bear.

SAVING TIME
Knauf, an international supplier of building materials believes there is a way of making light work out of constructing a partition, by using drywall instead of bricks and plaster.

“There is really no contest. Drywall is an easier, faster and more cost-effective solution, applicable in the same places where traditionally plaster would be used. It is lighter than brick and plaster,” says Knauf marketing manager Kerim Caglar. “One m2 of drywall weighs around one tenth of 1 m2 of plaster.”

To assemble drywall, boards are first cut to size and secured into metal frames before their edges are straightened using corner beads.

The joints are then taped over using paper or fibreglass mesh tape. This is later covered with three layers of joint compound (a type of sealant). When the compound is dry the wall can be sanded and painted.

Drywall can also be shaped around their frames to create curves. And, according to Caglar, it requires less manpower to assemble, as it is lighter and each partition has a much greater surface area than a brick.

“An interesting way to look at it is that 15 truckloads of bricks can be used to cover the same areas as one truckload of drywall partitions. So even before you start constructing, you save delivery time and money,” he says.

“Also, you can apply paint directly over it as soon as you have installed it, which means no waiting and no wasting time.”

It seems that saving time is a must when it comes to constructing in the Middle East, as a number of new projects continue to roll out, even in the tough economic climate.

Another manufacture which claims to meet this need is Gulf Wall, a supplier of light-weight partitions.