fermacell in the Heart of the Park Hill Complex in Sheffield

22/05/2013

The Park Hill complex in Sheffield is a forward-thinking project that has transformed the largest Grade II Listed structure in Europe, into modern flats and apartments. The multi-million pound makeover also includes shops, pubs and a community centre in an effort to emulate the sense of community that made the initial Park Hill facility a success in the 1960s.

The original complex, which began planning in 1945 and was completed in 1961, became iconic thanks to its revolutionary 'streets in the sky' design, a famous example of the vision of architects Alison and Peter Smithson, the originators of the concept. From then on, Park Hill became a landmark building on the Sheffield Skyline, never to be overshadowed by its surrounding landscape.

In its redevelopment, architects Hawkins Brown wanted to bring life and pride back into the area by creating and re-establishing a world class commercial and residential building that was superior inside and out.

Every design and build aspect therefore had to be carefully considered from the outset. Not only from an aesthetic and build quality point of view, but also sustainability in order ensure that a building was created that could truly represent the 21^st century and beyond.

Finding wall, ceiling and flooring solutions in keeping with the modern aesthetic of the building was necessary and important. Every material brought into the build had to support this whilst complementing the needs of modern-day living.

For the spacious one and two-bedroom apartments, Fermacell’s gypsum fibre dry-lining board enabled the Park Hill complex to meet the required objectives, after being specified by Hawkins Brown Architects and main contractors, Urban Splash.

Amongst its requirements, a board had to have the ability to support varying loads of weight without cracking, have noise-reducing benefits and be aesthetically pleasing yet sustainable.

Erik Purchase, the main contractor at Urban Splash, specified Fermacell for the project and said: “The fact that Fermacell board can support more weight safely than plasterboard and contributes greatly to noise reduction made it an ideal fit for the apartments of the new Park Hill development.”

Andrew Richardson, Fermacell’s technical manager, commented: “The board provides many benefits to modern living in a complex such as Park Hill. For example, its acoustic performance greatly aids sound reduction giving people a little peace and quiet in their homes. Additionally the 30kg single screw and up to 50kg cavity plug load bearing means that it can keep up with room layout changes and the moving of heavy items like televisions and mirrors from wall to wall, without the tell-tale signs of wear.

“Our dry-lining board combines the load-bearing performance properties of solid blockwork with the speed and flexibility of conventional drywall construction. This means that the turnaround time of a commercial project of the scale of Park Hill will be greatly enhanced because installers don’t have to think about secondary support. There will also be no reduction in room space.”

fermacell in the Heart of the Park Hill Complex in Sheffield

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