6 - Association of Interior Specialists

Partitioning system types and installation procedures 6Figure 24DOUBLE SKIN SYSTEMSA full height partition of up to 3.6 metres high willnecessitate a ceiling and floor track being installed andplumbed. The steel panels, which have a composite infill, arethen placed in position, with a gap between each one. Withinthe gap, cleats are then fitted to lock the panels together,before closing the gap by clipping in a cover channel.Junction details are constructed in a similar way by cleatingsections together. If a cut panel is required to abut the wall,then an abutment section should be fixed to the wall andthe open end of the cut panel slid into the section, while thetrue panel end is cleated to the adjacent panel. If thesystem has to offer fire resistance then intumescent sealantshould be used at wall, floor and ceiling abutments andmineral wool insulation inserted into all cavities.Module elevations available are; full steel, steel / glass /steel, steel / glass, fully glazed with or without blinds, chairrail glazed, timber door in single module and double steeldoor. A mullion post is required to be fitted either side ofany double doors. Modules can be provided in widths of300mm – 1000mm at 100mm increments. Laminate skirtingof 100mm height can be used at floor level but for fireresisting partitions a 100mm steel skirting must be used. Adouble lift height can be achieved by using a bespoke lengthmullion post at least every three metres and betweenpartition panels a heavy duty top capping, but consultationwith the system manufacturer is essential. For partial heightpartitions a mullion post, which is welded to a heavy dutybase plate should be fixed every three metres along thepartition run, with floor channels and panels installed inbetween. On the top of the partition a 100mm wide heavyduty capping section should be fitted to provide lateralstability (see figure 25).Fire performance: of 60 minutes can be achieved in either asolid or solid / double glazed / solid elevation, 30 minutescan be achieved on solid / single glazed / solid or half glazedelevations. Single and double door modules can also achieve60 minutes.Acoustic performance: of up to 36dB(R w ) can be achievedfor solid elevations and 32dB(R w ) for glazed elevations.Figure 25SINGLE SKIN SYSTEMSSome require a floor track to be fixed to the floor and aceiling track to the ceiling, or alternatively the panel is fixeddirectly to the floor. However, if the ceiling fixing detail isnot considered to be strong enough, then mullion postsshould be installed every three metres.Panels are placed in the desired position with the holesin the panel edge lined up. Panels are then bolted togetherusing M6 nuts and bolts. Glazed panels need to have theglass removed before the panel is fixed and re-fittedafterwards. A top channel is fitted to the ceiling on fullheight installations and a heavy duty capping on partialheight partitions.The door frame is fixed to the floor next to the adjacentpanel or post, ensuring that it is square, then bolted to the29