Heathrow T5

Client: Heathrow Terminal 5
Architect: Pascal & Watson, HOK & Ruddle Wilkinson
Main Contractor: Mansell & Balfour Beatty
Subcontractor: Astins & Pan Interiors

The Knauf Shaftwall system was specified for six service cores in the 440 metre Terminal 5B concourse. The cores, which extend over three, six and seven floors, contain stairs, escalators, lifts and service shafts.

Terminal 5B is part of the massive £4.2 billion development on 260 hectares on the western boundary of the airport, and is due to open in 2008. When fully complete, T5 will provide Heathrow Airport with the capacity to handle up to 35 million additional passengers a year, and 16,500 jobs will be created.

Dry lining subcontractor Astins has installed 27,000 m2 of walling - mostly Knauf Shaftwall. With much os the dry wall construction involving several layers, this totals about 100,000m2 of board.

Most of the Knauf Shaftwall installation in Terminal 5B consists of 146mm Knauf 'C-T' steel studs supporting 19mm Knauf Coreboard. This is faced on the room side with two layers of 15mm Knauf Fire Moistureshield, a high performance plasterboard providing added protection against dampness.

The 176mm construction used at Terminal 5B typically providesup to two hours' fire resistance and reliable protection for firefighters. It also provides 45dB (Rw) sound reduction - or 50dB with a 25mm insulation quilt in the void. Higher sound reduction performances can be achieved with additional layers of board and/or thicker insulation quilts.

The Knauf Coreboard facing into the shaft is normally left unfinished, while the high performance boards on the "room" side are finished as normal partitioning.