Type of works: supply and installation of Knauf Drywall's Performer partition systems and Knauf MP75 Projection plaster.

Time-saving one-coat Knauf MP75 Projection plaster put a superb finish on the masonry walls of the custody suite in a new police station, in significantly less time than conventional two-coat hand-applied plaster. The fast-track plastering solution, adopted after a demonstration for the main contractor, complements a range of Knauf Drywall Performer partition systems elsewhere in Greater Manchester Police’s just-opened £17.5 million divisional HQ in Bury.

The three storey divisional HQ in Castlecroft Road has twice the custody space of the Irwell Street police station, which it replaces, overcoming the need to use overspill cells at other stations. It also has a crime scene examination area, interview rooms, and general and private offices. Built by Mansell Construction Services Ltd, with dry lining and plastering by Plastercraft Projections Ltd.

Bury-based Plastercraft applied Knauf MP75 to 9,000m² of blockwork walls in the custody suite, achieving a fine surface for decoration in just one third of the time needed for traditional plastering techniques. With machine-applied Knauf MP75, a team of three plasterers can complete up to 150m² in a day, leaving a smooth White finish, with no mess. Plastercraft Director Shaun Bellew says: “A two-coat finish was originally specified, but Mansell agreed to let us demonstrate MP75 on a sample wall – and were satisfied enough to change the specification.”

With materials sourced through the Chorley branch of Knauf Drywall distributor Encon, Plastercraft built partitions for offices and interview rooms, using the versatile Knauf Performer partition system. For general offices, 102mm partitions delivering 42dB(Rw) consist of 50mm Knauf ‘C’ studs with two layers of 12.5mm Knauf standard wallboard on each side. A 48dB(Rw) option is achieved with the addition of 25mm Knauf Crown acoustic partition roll in the void. Greater acoustic privacy is provided in senior offices and interview rooms in 122mm and 132mm partitions, all based on 70mm Knauf ‘C’ studs. Two layers of 12.5mm Knauf standard wallboard on each side and 25mm Knauf Crown acoustic partition roll deliver 52dB(Rw). By changing to high performance Knauf Soundshield in the same configurations, the 12.5mm board achieves 54dB(Rw) and the 15mm board, 55dB(Rw).

Plastercraft also used two layers of 12.5mm Knauf standard wallboard in the Knauf MF suspended ceiling system. The Knauf Encasement system protects steel columns in the building.

Ian Wood, Knauf Drywall Project Specification Manager, says the Knauf Performer partition system, with solutions optimised for a wide variety of requirements in the residential, commercial, educational and healthcare building sectors, makes drywall specification much easier. “It’s much more efficient on site because requirements for board and metal sections are streamlined and simpler to manage,” he says. Performer is one of five optimised partition ranges now available from Knauf Drywall to cover the majority of common building applications. The range includes Knauf Easybuild, Knauf Silent Spacesaver, Knauf Isolator, and Knauf Shaftwall.

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.