eekowall
Innovation overview and development
An overview of the product
eekowall is the most advanced drylining system available, designed to achieve the highest levels of fire, acoustic and stability performance with virtually no waste materials produced on site. eekowall panels are manufactured off-site within strict QA procedures, so there is no risk of hidden construction defects affecting the performance of the completed partitions and linings. They can be installed extremely quickly, considerably reducing the number of operative hours required on site. This also simplifies and speeds up the site management and QA procedures, as the partitions framing and fixings etc. are pre-checked in the factory, and guaranteed to be correct. The projects Golden Thread for design is also protected as the fire rated partitions and linings are constructed under controlled conditions, with no risk of mixed brand materials being introduced to fire rated systems during the construction phase. The deflection head details have been designed to avoid any unfixed contact between metal components, removing the risk of “Creaking Building Syndrome” from the partition heads, making eekowall panels the perfect choice for high rise residential towers.
How the new product was developed, including effective collaboration, knowledge transfer and partnership along the project team
One of the main areas which has helped in the development of eekowall was joining the Construction Innovation Hub’s (CIH) Platform Design Programme (PDP) which provided the team a fantastic opportunity to develop our innovation in a collaborative environment.
While involved in the hub the following activities took place and continue to be developed going forward
• Construct prototypes at Quintain’s innovation space in Wembley and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to develop our innovation
• Use Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) methods to ensure optimum product/process solutions, both for this project and the PDP project
• Use Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) methodology at the MTC to create automated design and manufacture of the cassettes to scale up manufacturing, supply and delivery
• Develop automated/assisted-manual manufacturing processes
• Use the Construction Quality Planning (CQP) tool developed by the CIH for Quality Control purposes
• Use digital technology for design, manufacture, assembly and asset tracking
• De-skill the manufacture and site assembly of the cassettes and create local jobs
• Support Covid-secure construction sites by minimising the requirement for intensive site activity by manufacturing offsite
How might this product have an influence on the specification
eekowall will take your partition and lining layout drawings and provide a full eekowall panel design to match your project performance requirements. The panels are constructed and delivered to site in the order they are required to be installed. Door and service openings are predetermined and formed within the panel design. eekowall wire-ways are installed within the panel cavity to accommodate cable and socket installation. Likewise, non-combustible steel noggins are pre-installed to the panel cavity to facilitate the fixing of services and fitted furniture. eekowall party wall systems are capable of achieving their fire and acoustic performances without finishing products being applied, meaning pods can be positioned to one side without the need to access the wall to apply “fire tape”. The speed of eekowall system construction means M&E service installation can follow at pace, with final wall and ceiling linings and finishes being applied immediately after. eekowall systems have been certified as non-combustible by Warrington Fire, so they can be installed as part of the external wall system. eekowall partition walls are also capable of meeting the increased acoustic requirements typically required on todays high end developments.
How the product improved productivity in the process and/or quality and performance of the interior system
eekowall has been developed for high-density mid to high rise residential and student accommodation schemes and can easily be used for any housing development. Adopting eekowall in the housing sector will drive better outcomes and better predictability on cost, speed, and reliability.
It can take a month+ to build a typical apartment within a residential development with traditional drylining. eekowall can achieve the same in a single day! That is 2000% faster. We work to a minimum 60:60 principle – 60% less labour and time compared to traditional drylining.
eekowall virtually eliminates waste on site from 35-40% (traditional) to less than 1%. That is as much as 1000 tonnes on a typical development equating to c250 tonnes of CO²e. That is the equivalent of a car driving over 36 times around the earth.
We can convert any development to eekowall providing the exact number of panels required. Our suppliers deliver the components cut to size, speeding up manufacture and reducing waste. We tightly control manufacturing time arranging delivery on a just-in-time basis. This gives us accurate cost predictability that we can fix before a project starts.
All components are installed accurately under tightly controlled QA procedures eliminating costly errors.