Walls and Steelcase Case Study

 Chapter 7 – Walls

Throughout Chapter 7, many topics were covered including framing systems, insulation, interior substrate materials, interior wall finishing, interior design considerations, doors and windows, and LEED CI rating systems. All of these topics lead to the overall understanding of choosing interior walls finishes that are the most sustainable, identifying the wall types, designing interior walls according to their use, the basic theory of moldings, and interior wall finishes in finish schedules and finish plans. With the knowledge of these objectives, an interior designer is able to make some important decisions in the most efficient way.

Framing Systems

This section discusses the three main systems of a wall: stud walls, masonry or concrete bearing
walls, and column and beam structural frame walls with infill. It also introduces the use of structural panel walls. When diving into stud walls and how they are constructed, we learn that they can either be built from wood or light-gauge steel. They come in industry sizes like the 2 by 4 and the 2 by 6. It is important to note, however, that these dimensions are just nominal dimensions – not your actual dimensions. The standard spacing of a stud in a wall is 12, 16, or 24 inches on center and starts with a 2 by 4 or 4 by 6 laid horizontally. The individual studs are then nailed to the horizontally stud. Once all studs are nailed in, a top plate is added. In some cases of a wall with doors and windows, partial studs are used to space the remaining distance above and below the opening. Once the walls are framed, they are sheathed to provide stability against wind loads. Sheathing consists of either plywood or oriented-strand board (OSB), however, OSB is cheaper and in turn, used more often.

The section carries on to discuss concrete and masonry nearing walls and the fact that they are used from either concrete masonry units (CMUs), brick or stone bearing walls, or reinforced concrete, and are monolithic. The challenge with a CMU wall, however, is that this wall system includes placement of wiring, boxes, and switches, along with penetration for HVAC and plumbing, and interior finished materials. On the other hand, structural frame walls can be filled in with stud-wall infill, insulation-panel infill, and other materials. Structural insulation panels, or SIPs, can be composed of wood or steel framing and differ in forms of insulation – like rigid insulation.

Insulation and Interior Substrate Material

The insulation section covers the three main types of insulation: batt insulation, cellulose insulation, and rigid board insulation. There have been recent discoveries in sustainable construction leading to variations of all of the three types of insulation. Recycled paper pulp a or recycled blue jeans and other natural fibers can also be made into and used for insulation, decreasing its impact on the environment. When there is a clear difference in temperature between the inside and the outside, condensation occurs and calls for a vapor retarder. Typically installed in the wall towards the warmer side, a vapor retarder’s position can vary depending on the climate in which the structure is in. When it is colder outside, the vapor retard is installed towards the inside; when it is in a warmer climate, the vapor retarder is installed towards the outside.; and moderate climates require no vapor retarder.

On the other hand, the interior substrate section of chapter 7 touches on the final component of a sustainable wall system: the interior finish material. Gypsum board, also know as dry wall or sheet rock, is the most often used interior wall substrate. It is made of gypsum sandwiched between two layers of heavy paper. Many variations have been produced, including the Type-X which is fire-rated. As opposed to a recycled gypsum or recycled paper facing, a plaster-finish wall is a more sustainable option for interior designers. The unfortunate part, however, is that the work is time intensive and very few tradespeople lack this knowledge. Plaster work is applied in 3 layers: lath/brown coat, scratch coat, and finish coat. Texturing options are available to put over the finish coat of a plastered wall including smooth or heavy.  It is then cured with the chemical reaction formed by lime, gypsum, and water. The chapter also states that ceiling and wall systems deemed to comply with VOC (volatile organic compounds) emission limits consist of ceramic and concrete tile, organic-free, mineral-based gypsum plaster, clay masonry, concrete masonry, and concrete and metal.

Wall Finish (Interior)

Several wall finishes include tile, wood panels, stone, brick, fabric, paper, carpet, wire mesh, metal slats, 3-Form/acrylic panels, and various types of glass. When looking at paint, however, it is hard to argue it’s sustainable qualities. For it to be a sustainable finish, the entire life cycle of paint and it’s coating has to consider the use, maintenance, cleaning, durability, acquisition and manufacture, disposal, and possible recycling. With the right paint, the designer reached aesthetic appeal, while reducing noise, providing a higher R-value for insulation, and save money. The opacity of paint describes the ability to offer enough coverage of the underlying surface, which is determined by using ASTM D 344 or ASTM 2805-11 related to the per unit VOC content. Essentially, hiding VOC is more sustainable than VOC content on its own. Due to the fact that a VOC evaporates into the air to combine with nitrogen oxide and sunlight, air pollution is created and a harmful odor is emitted. A paints and coatings scrubability, color retention, gloss level, and its ability to be recycled are all factors into a paint’s sustainability concerns.

Moldings consist of several types: supporting, terminating, separating, or translating. Terminating molding points out and ends a string of trim pieces, whereas separating molding is used between two pieces of trim – a scotia or torus molding. Translating molding mediates a vertical offset like a plinth base, however the most basic shapes of molding are ovolo or a cove, which combine to make the cyma recta and reversa. Moldings were used wherever two surfaces met to make a clean joint. Classical moldings are considered additive; Gothic or medieval period moldings were more subtractive; convex moldings were robust and sturdy, creating a more pronounced shadow, but weaker. A crown molding is composed of a cyma recta and a smaller cyma reversa or cove molding. A bed molding typically consisted of an ovolo molding with either a cyma reversa or ovolo combined with a cove molding. As time went on, architects began to replace join-covering cleats and ends of exposed beams with abstracted moldings.

Moldings have been used a while and are seen on all columns with variations from the least decorative, like the Tuscan columns, or the most ornate, like the composite order. The composition of orders followed specific rules with the Doric column typically reserved for the lower the level, the Ionic for the level above the lower one, and the Corinthian for the top level of a building. All of these included three basic characteristics - a base, a shaft, and a capital – and support an entablature and a horizontal beam, that is covered by an architrave. An entablature was comprised of a cornice, frieze, and architrave, furthermore, an architrave consisted of a bed mold, fascia, and gutter mold.

 

Case Study From Steelcase – LINC

After going on the Steelcase website and looking through the case studies, I found the case study on Steelcase’s Munich Learning and Innovation Center (LINC). The space is created to house a vibrant community that consists of employees, partners, and customers. With the use of designers, researchers, product specialists, and HR leaders, the cross-functional team was able to take three adjacent buildings and merge them into two buildings in order to increase density and proximity. The designer’s idea was to “create an array of interconnect neighborhoods that will enable people to easily flow from one work mode to the next and to interact with each other throughout the day. This concept is seen in spaces known as “shared attractors.” With the use of partitions, shared attractors give employees the ability to work anywhere in the building without being distracted. Such spaces included collaboration and social spaces, focus work or rejuvenation spaces, and both informal and formal learning spaces. By doing this, the designer is giving the inhabitants of the building more control over where they work. This type of environment is seen to help activate behaviors that create interactions with other people and their work. In turn, this contributes to the innovative ideas produced by the designer.