The interior of Downtown’s Atrium building is a hive of activity as workers near the final phase of construction of the seven-storey LEED-certified Yates Street office complex.

Visitors inspect an Atrium office. Photo by Robert Randall © VibrantVictoria.ca.

One thing missing is the choking dust common with drywall installation. Developer Jawl Properties along with architect D’Ambrosio Architecture + Urbanism have chosen to outfit the building housing BC Ferries’ head office with a modular wall system by DIRTT Environmental Solutions.

The rear of each MDF panel contains hanging clips and a unique bar code describing the panel in case replacement is required. Photo by Robert Randall © VibrantVictoria.ca.

Instead of traditional painted drywall mounted on steel studs, the interior is fitted with a pre-fabricated aluminum grid bolted to the floor and ceiling. Melamine-coated medium-density fibreboard panels are then clipped to the grid. The units are insulated and pre-wired for data and electricity. In meeting rooms, a few of the panels are made of white-painted glass, suitable for use as a white board for markers. In fact, virtually any material can be installed, from plush fabric for pushpins to projection screens.

Modular wall systems are more expensive than traditional stud and drywall construction but the developers anticipate long-term cost savings. Office reconfiguration can be done in hours instead of weeks as entire walls can be rejigged during working hours. The panel’s durable surface means less time spent patching and painting damaged drywall. Each panel is bar coded to make replacement simple.

A newly-installed grid awaits panel installation. Each wall comes pre-insulated and wired. Photo by Robert Randall © VibrantVictoria.ca.

DIRTT workers installed 5,000 linear feet of walls and doors throughout the 200,000 square foot Atrium building. Working from architectural plans, technicians created a computerized walk-through of the proposed layout. As construction progressed, accurate measurements of the finished building were taken and the modular units were built and shipped from Calgary.

Although modular wall systems themselves offer no additional LEED points over traditional walls, there is an environmental benefit–the job site lacks a dumpster full of drywall offcuts. an estimated 010 to 20 percent of drywall is wasted during the installation process according to construction experts.

Take part in a discussion on the progress of the Atrium building by following this link to the VibrantVictoria forum.

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