For architects and designers the construction and renovation of hospitals, health centres, doctors’ surgeries and nursing homes are always challenging. On the one hand the objective is to increase the comfort level of patients and staff through great design. On the other hand, functional requirements such as sturdiness, hygiene and durability must be satisfied.
Key issues
Designing for the health sector requires an awareness of several key issues, including:
- Acoustics play a crucial part in creating comfortable healthcare environments. Acoustic comfort facilitates patients’ recovery through maintaining privacy and keeping noise levels low.
- Impact resistance. Wall surfaces must be able to withstand the wear and tear expected in these facilities due to the high volume of staff, patients and visitors. Furthermore hospital beds, trolleys and equipment are constantly being moved around, knocking against wall surfaces and causing damage.
- Shelf loading. Hospital walls must be able to support a wide range of fittings and fixtures, from waiting room artwork and bathroom accessories to heavy equipment in specialty rooms.
- Aesthetics. There is an increasing trend toward designing hospitals with patient‐centered features like improved natural light, visitor friendly facilities, well‐decorated rooms and hotel‐like amenities, and it has even led to the term “healing architecture”. Read more about it in our blog Healing Healthcare and Acoustics in hospitals.
- Hygiene and infection control. Robust internal surfaces and finishes are essential to maintaining hygiene and controlling infection, with areas such as operating rooms requiring particular attention.
- Fire protection. Resistance and protection from fire is a critical factor in plasterboard throughout hospitals, particularly in lift shafts.
- Water resistance. In wet areas including toilets, showers, laundries and kitchens, low maintenance water resistance solutions reduce moisture damage and mould growth.
TruRock and TruRock HD
Siniat’s TruRock and TruRock HD are all-round, multi-functional plasterboards. These high performance boards are ideal for projects in the health sector because they incorporate sound insulation properties and impact, water and fire resistance for multi-performance applications.
TruRock and TruRock HD offer a 4-in-1 plasterboard option that simplifies ordering, delivery and installation.
These plasterboards resist the effects of wear and tear. They are made with a high density gypsum core embedded with a continuous fiberglass reinforcement and recycled heavy duty liner paper. They are easy to repair and maintain, and minimise ongoing costs over the lifetime of the building.
Trurock HD has the same high-density core as TruRock but incorporates mould resistance technology as an extra benefit that dramatically reduces mould growth, even under severe conditions.
These boards can be used in a wide range of commercial walls, ceilings and specialty systems where impact, fire, water as well as sound insulation are required. They are also an ideal substrate for tiles in wet areas.
TruRock and TruRock HD have been developed to meet the specific needs of the Australian market.
Benefits:
- Multi-purpose board for sound, impact, fire and water resistant applications
- Simplify ordering, delivery and installation
- Easy to repair and maintain
- Mould resistance with TruRock HD
- TruRock and TruRock HD are also certified by Global GreenTag to GreenRate Level A, and will achieve 100% points for relevant materials categories
Download the TruRock and TruRock HD Technical Data Sheet.
Case Study
TruRock was specified in Brisbane’s Queensland Children’s Hospital (formerly known as the Lady Cilento Hospital) upgrade project in 2014.
The multifunctional plasterboard was specified for all internal wall linings of the $1.5bn facility.
Commercial contractor Superior Walls & Ceilings countered an initial specification for over 120 wall types with a proposal to use Siniat’s 4-in-1 plasterboard, TruRock, in its successful tender bid. Using the multifunctional plasterboard not only met the requirements of architect and builder, but also achieved cost savings and reduced the number of wall types and ongoing maintenance.
The contractor said that it made the installation of the internal linings much easier because they knew that there was only one product on the job.
Also read our blog Hospital design and noise: A message from Florence Nightingale
