Architect: Walters and Cohen
Contractor: Terrapin
Type of works: supply and installation of Knauf Fire Moistureshield plasterboard.

High-performance plasterboard from Knauf Drywall lines the interior walls of an innovative factory-built toilet block, newly installed at Brittons School and Technology College in the London Borough of Havering. Offsite construction specialist Terrapin used 12.5mm Knauf Fire Moistureshield to line the 34m² building, which was built in two modules to facilitate transport by road from the Milton Keynes factory. Knauf Fire Moistureshield is a specially formulated plasterboard for superior fire protection and moisture resistance.

Designed and built to a tight specification to improve the quality, image and maintenance of school toilets, the pioneering toilet block has Knauf Fire Moistureshield fixed to its lightweight steel stud framework, to provide a safe, durable wall lining. The high-performance plasterboard was taped and jointed, before application of decorative finishes and installation of plumbing and electrical services. On site, the sections were hoisted into position, ready for exterior cladding, roofing and service connections. The building, with boys’, girls’ and disabled facilities, is the first offsite-built toilet block complying with the Standard Specifications, Layouts and Dimensions (SSLD) for Toilets in Schools - guidance for the government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Richard Macdonald, Terrapin Sales and Marketing Director, says the company worked closely with Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the London Borough of Havering, and architects Walters and Cohen, to launch the modular toilet block. “Using a top quality plasterboard to line the modules will ensure a long service life for a permanent structure that embodies all the advantages of offsite construction – including consistent high-build quality, and less time needed on site,” he says.

Terrapin is a leading supplier of permanent and relocatable offsite solutions for the education sector, and other areas of construction including offices, hotels, hospitals, military accommodation and prisons. It regularly uses Knauf Drywall plasterboards, sourced through Encon’s Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, branch to line the inner walls of building modules.

Tapered edge 1,200 x 3,000mm Knauf Fire Moistureshield is available in 12.5mm or 15mm thicknesses which are 10kg/m² and 12kg/m² respectively. Knauf Fire Moistureshield is normally used in partitions where moisture resistance is a specific requirement together with fire resistance of up to two hours. Knauf Drywall Marketing Manager Bob Stark says the Terrapin application underlines the suitability of Knauf Drywall systems in innovative building solutions for schools. “It reinforces our position in this sector, which already makes widespread use of our plasters and plasterboard systems,” he says.

Knauf Drywall manufactures a full range of plasters, plasterboards, insulating laminates, dry flooring, drywall accessories, and metal sections for domestic, commercial and public sector applications. Knauf Drywall pioneered carbon neutral plasterboard in the UK with Knauf Futurepanel. Knauf Drywall also actively promotes recycling from building sites and has a zero waste policy in its energy efficient factories at Sittingbourne in Kent and Immingham on Humberside.