Typical Interior Partitions
• Be clear: 'typical' and 'possible' are not
the same. What is 'typically' built may or
may not not be ideal, beautiful, or even
functional. 'Typical' means just that, it is
what is done most of the time.
• 'Possible' is where designers live;
designers explore the question "What if..."
• Even so, it is useful to understand what is
'typically' built.
• 'GWB', 'Sheetrock', 'drywall', 'gyp board',
are all different ways of referring to
gypsum board, a flat panel product that is
used to make the surfaces of partitions
and ceilings.
• Read pages 52 – 89, & 182 – 194 &
221 - 229 in “Sustainable Building Systems
and Construction for Designers"
gypsum board
• gypsum boards are manufactured by
many different companies. USGypsum is
one such company. USG makes a
product that is called 'Sheetrock'. This is
their version of gypsum board.
• The term 'Sheetrock' is a proprietary term;
that is, it is a proper name; the name of
USG's gypsum board.
• Nevertheless, you may hear people refer
to 'sheetrock' as if this is the generic way
of referring to gypsum board; it is not.
• The generic term is 'gypsum board.'
• gypsum boards are produced in many
sizes and thicknesses:
• 4'x8', 4'x10', 4'x16'
• thicknesses of: 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4",5/8",
• a special product called 'shaftwall' is 1"
thick, and designed to be used to line
elevator shafts.
Gypsum Board
Gypsum board is the generic name for the group of products
comprised mainly of a noncombustible gypsum core and paper
facings.
Gypsum board is commonly referred to as drywall, wallboard, plasterboard
and sheetrock. Gypsum is a mineral found in sedimentary rock formations.
This product is perfectly highly fire resistant.
Gypsum contains chemically combined water that is driven off as steam
when subjected to high heat, effectively fighting fire. Gypsum board is the
most common interior finish used today in Canada and the United States
Types of Gypsum Board
• Regular - is used as a surface layer for walls
and ceilings, available in tapered and square
edges.
• Type X - is available in ½-inch or 5/8-inch
thickness and has improved fire- resistance
through the use of fibers mixed within the
gypsum core.
• Type C or Improved X - Additional additives
give this product improved fire-resistance.
Required in some fire-tested assemblies.
• Water Resistant Board - made with a waterresistant core and water-resistant face paper.
Also known as "green" board. Designed as a
ceramic tile backer board..
• Gypsum Liner board - available in ¾- or 1-inch
thickness and used primarily in area separation
wall systems.
• Soffit board - designed for exterior use under
protected overhangs and walkways.
 Gypsum sheathing - used as an
underlayment in exterior walls for
structural stability and fire-protection.
Available in treated and non-treated core
for water-resistance.
Joint Treatment
• Gypsum wallboard produces a monolithic surface by
taping the depression formed along the edges of gypsum
board. The procedure is to embed a tape with a taping or
joint compound over the tapered joint. The depression is
then filled with successive layers of compound and
sanded to produce a monolithic surface. The square
edge of the gypsum panels that meet are often referred
to as "butt" joints and should be feathered out further
than tapered joints.
an exterior wall may also be the 'interior' wall.
here triangles are used to build a 'geodesic' dome
plywood is used as 'sheathing' to begin
the weather enclosure
insulation can be sprayed on. this is useful when the
surfaces involved are of uneven, or irregular form.
wood stud framing. individual pieces of wood, combined in a system
that includes surface finish materials, and construction technologies.
there are two wood framing systems:
platform framing & balloon framing
• platform framing: vertical studs are only one story tall.
each separate story is framed individually, one vertical
level at a time. most wood frame buildings today are
built this way.
• balloon framing: vertical studs run the full vertical height
of the building. floor joists are 'let in' to notches in the
vertical studs. used mostly prior to 1940.
platform framing
platform framing:
one story of wall construction is made, and then
placed on the floor.
balloon framing
balloon framing: shows floor joists set into
continuous vertical studs
wood rafters in place
typical wood stud wall in
platform framing
heavy timber frame:
large timber pieces make whole frame sections
heavy timber framing
assembling heavy timber trusses
A good website for heavy timber
framing information and images
• http://www.vermonttimberworks.com/framing.html
there are many different types of wood joints used in heavy
timber framing such as the mortise & tenon, and dovetail
this is a student project, from the university of oregon.
each is a 'kit of parts'; one of heavy timber, the other of
lightweight metal components.
bricks
• There are two basic brick types - face and
paver.
• paver bricks are used for patios, driveways, et
cetera. paver bricks are usually 4" x 8" x 2"
• face bricks are typically used to build walls. face
bricks are made in a range of sizes, but the most
common construction brick size is 3 5/8" x 2 1/4"
x 7 5/8"
• The most common brick wall used in
building houses is a "veneered wall".
• Facing brick is placed outside the frame of
the house and the brick veneer is attached
to the frame by metal ties or by grouting it
to mesh attached to studs.
• The other common type of wall used in
houses is a solid masonry "bearing wall",
which means that the wall carries the
weight of the house. With this type of wall,
there is no frame behind the brick. Instead,
the brick, and usually a "back up" of hollow
masonry units or brick, provide both
enclosure and structural system.
• In some cases, a house may have a brick
"cavity wall" (which is frequently a bearing
wall as well).
This is a wall in which a space is left between an outer
and an inner width of brick. The space is usually filled
with insulation. Most often, this type of wall is used when
it is desirable to have an exposed brick interior wall.
However, exposed brick interiors can be constructed
using inside veneered or bearing walls.
glass blocks in a
stack bond pattern
a brick arch, a stone lintel:
both the arch, and the lintel are structural elements for allowing an
opening beneath
a piece of steel is being used in this old brick wall as a lintel, to support
the weight of the wall above, in order to install a new, large, window.
• There are three categories of stone:
• 1) Igneous: solidified directly from the molten state, this
is the hardest and least porous stone.
•
2) Sedimentary: sand and decomposed material carried
by water, and settled, this is the softest and most porous
stone.
• 3) Metamorphic: sedimentary materials which are further
hardened by a combination of pressure, heat, and
moisture, close in hardness compared with igneous
stone.
• stone used in construction (of a building,
or a garden wall) may be divided into
three classes:
• rubble
• ashlar
• trimmings
rubble
• Rubblework: consists of stones in which
the adjoining sides are not required to be
at right angles. It is used for rough
masonry, as in foundations, backing, etc.,
and frequently consists of common field
stone, roughly dressed
rubble
• Field-Stone Walls. Walls of this kind are
built of small, uncut stones, and are
frequently employed for fences and rustichouse work. Such walls should be made
quite thick on account of the round and
unstable shape of the stones used in their
construction.
ashlar
• Ashlar:
• Stonework that is cut on four sides so that
the adjoining sides will be at right angles
to each other, is known as ashlar, no
matter whether the face is dressed or not.
an excellent website:
http://www.astoft.co.uk/index.htm
• this is: The Astoft Collection of Buildings of
England
•
stone used to make facing, or panels,
is cut using a saw
stone blocks are carefully blasted apart, and
dug out of the earth. the place where this is
done is called a quarry.
white Italian marble from the region around
Carerra is world famous
A massive Corinthian capital in the stone fabrication shop
in Indiana. This capital was carved from a twenty ton block
of Indiana buff limestone.
Stone used in building
1) Granite: Igneous, extremely hard
(and non-porous), used commonly as veneer.
2) Limestone, Sandstone: sedimentary stones that differ based on their
composition, they are soft, fairly porous, easily worked, and are used both as a
veneer and as structural material.
3) Marble: metamorphic, harder than limestone or sandstone, and more durable,
still fairly easily worked. Mostly a decorative material
4) Slate: metamorphic, a smooth, dark, waterproof material used frequently in floors,
and as shingles.
5) Travertine: sedimentary, a soft porous stone used decoratively in interior uses only.
6) Soapstone: sedimentary, used for counters.
Dry stone walls are called dry because no mortar or other bonding material
such as clay is used to keep the stones together. A typical wall consists of a
foundation course, generally of larger stones or boulders known as footings,
with two wall faces of large stones. The cavity in between the faces is filled with
smaller stones or hearting.
stone veneer
• Stone Veneer · Although stone is too
expensive in general for structural
purposes, because of its durability it can
be effectively used for surface
applications.
• · Choice of stone is determined by color,
texture, desired hardness, and weight,
with a multitude of options available.
• Applications of stone veneers:
• 1) Interior: as a wall or floor covering,
generally for public area like lobbies,
corridors.
• 2) Exterior: as a cladding, for the base, for
spandrel panels, or for the entire building
stone being used as a veneer, on top of steel studs with a
mesh lath.
stone with a concrete or concrete block
backup.
Finish of stone masonry
1) Roughed: the outer surface of the stone may be cut in
such a way that it looks uncut. This treatment is
commonly found at the base of a building (such as this
one).
2) Rustication: grooves are left at the edges of the stones
to provide extra definition of the joints. Traditionally this
is used as a transition between the roughed stone and
the smooth stone.
3) Smooth: there are a number of finished that can be
applied to relatively smooth stones, depending on the
device used.
a free standing garden wall:
can be built using a concrete sub-structure, or just stacked and
mortared stones