When the installation wall becomes a partition wall
As part of the refurbishment and extension of a student hall of residence in Passau, TGA installation partition walls with blow-in insulation are providing horizontal and vertical fire protection.
Where two bathrooms are arranged back-to-back, conventional interior fit-out usually involves a classic design: a solid partition wall is supplemented on both sides with pre-wall installations. Floor-to-ceiling TGA installation partition walls, on the other hand, take a different approach. They serve both as a partition wall and as an installation surface, so that plumbing pipes, fittings and connections are fully integrated into a prefabricated wall system. This reduces the amount of material used and the installation effort, creates additional usable space and, with mineral blow-in insulation, also meets fire and sound insulation requirements. The refurbishment and extension of a student hall of residence in Passau demonstrates how this concept works in practice.
The Studierendenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz modernised 254 flats and created a further 100 residential units by adding a storey using a timber modular construction method. On the recommendation of specialist planner Maximilian Sczepurek, prefabricated service partition walls from TECEsystem were used. Between the bathrooms of two flats, they form a floor-to-ceiling partition wall whilst also housing the entire plumbing system. A total of 335 modules were installed. “The major advantage of using these installation partition walls is the planning certainty they offer in terms of fire and sound insulation, as well as the ease of installation on site,” says architect Daniel Wall.
15 centimetres of installation space saved
These industrially prefabricated installation partition walls optimise floor plans and save 10 to 15 centimetres of installation space in each bathroom. Acting as a partition wall between two units, they accommodate the installations for both bathrooms, reduce installation time, costs and interfaces, and create additional living space – a particular advantage in refurbishment and conversion projects.
The TECEsystem installation partitions are supplied with the ‘Ü’ mark as an approved construction product for fire protection structures (abZ: Z-41.90-717). On site, they are clad in accordance with the general type approval (aBG: Z-41.9-718) and filled with mineral blow-in insulation to ensure they are smoke-tight and free of voids. As a result, they meet the requirements for horizontal and vertical fire and sound insulation, as well as providing a seamless transition between the existing structure and the new extension. “The pipes could be brought together and bundled within an integrated shaft. This meant that it was no longer necessary to penetrate the wall, which would have entailed new requirements,” explains Wall. The shaft was positioned over the existing ceiling openings and blown out. This provided fire and sound insulation without the need for additional fire protection collars or ceiling grouting. “We didn’t need any additional fire protection, which is of course also a cost factor,” adds Sczepurek.
Tested solutions for fire and sound insulation
“TECE offers certified fire and sound insulation solutions that were well-suited to our design brief. Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult to achieve the required standards in an existing building and in timber construction. The complete filling of the service walls means we don’t need fire protection between the floors – that was a major advantage,” says Wall, explaining the decision. Drinking water hygiene also played a role. “TECE offers a toilet cistern with an integrated drinking water hygiene flush. This allows defined quantities of water to be flushed when the building is unoccupied or during the semester holidays to prevent stagnation. Combined with TECEsystem, this was the ideal solution for us,” explains Sczepurek.
Faster installation on site
The extension was carried out floor by floor. The prefabricated modules were installed using a crane. It took two fitters around two hours per element.
“We simply have to connect a downpipe and the risers, and that means we’ve installed two bathrooms straight away. With a brick partition wall, this work would have to be carried out on both sides,” explains Jürgen Herzig, managing director of Herzig GmbH, the contractor. The blow-in insulation also simplified the installation process. “The ceiling penetrations no longer need to be sealed with lots of different collars. With blow-in insulation, fire protection for the entire shaft is taken care of. This significantly reduces the organisational effort and prevents individual seals from being overlooked,” says Alfred Bauer, project manager at Herzig GmbH.
Conclusion: Time saved and planning simplified
Those involved in the project have given a positive assessment. “It was a good decision,” concludes Wall. Particularly in terms of fire and sound insulation, the combination of the TECEsystem and blow-in insulation significantly simplified both the planning and the execution. Sczepurek estimates the time saved from planning to completion at 10 to 20 per cent: “You have to be open to new systems and replace conventional construction methods with innovations. In my view, that’s a clear advantage.” Herzig also highlights the close collaboration: “It was important for us to have competent points of contact who also supported us on site. That was a decisive factor.”
from TECEsystem. On the outside, everything is finished in a uniform white. Among other things, the TECEnow flush plate has also been installed. Image: Joschija Bauer