Manor Drive Academy choose Fermacell® for new school development

As part of the Manor Drive Academy development in Peterborough, architects Jestico + Whiles and contractor Raimondas Petrulis have specified the unique building board fermacell® for the ceilings and walls in its new sports hall.

Part of a range of products by James Hardie, one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials, fermacell® is a fibre gypsum board which provides superior fire resistance, acoustic performance and impact strength. For the sports hall wall construction, a double layer lining of 12.5 mm fermacell® was used to ensure higher levels of protection against ball impact, and provide long-term durability. The high-density board comes with a 20-year impact warranty and can be installed before the building is water tight, which not only helped with the speed of the build but also had a positive impact on carbon reduction as fermacell® is verified to store C02*.

The new four-court sports hall is a major part of the Manor Drive School development. Manor Drive Secondary Academy adjoins the primary building and at full capacity the schools will cater for up to 1346 students (900 secondary and 446 primary) with numbers planned to grow incrementally year on year.

Jon Jacznik, Director at DCL Drywall Contracts commented: “The sports hall area is a prime example of how the fermacell high density boards can provide protection from direct impact from sports activities as well as resistance from extreme wear and tear. With a 20 year impact warranty the client has peace of mind that the product will stand up to all future sports events.”

Chris Winwood, Commercial Sales Manager at James Hardie added: "The design team were looking for ways to speed up the build time whilst not compromising on quality. The architect and contractor specified Fermacell® because of its established reputation in the Education sector, offering the robustness of blockwork with the speed and install of drywall, saving time, money and space making it ideal for modern school environments.