What is Partywall?
In a nutshell, a party wall, stands for "partition walls" is a wall that is shared between two or more residents of individual dwellings.
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What is a party wall for?
It depends on which type of "partywall" you a referring to. If your project is a townhouse construction, it would be "Partiwall Sytem" by Knauf.
If your project is an apartment building, it would be a twin stud or double stud system, as part of the fire-rated wall separating the Sole Occupancy Units.
In ArchiEng, we have engineers with over 20 years experience which are highly recognised within the Australian lightweight wall systems industry. Our system allow us to compile all information and generate them into a simple, easy-to-read report compiling structural, fire, acoustic, thermal, construction details etc.
If you're an architect and wish to quickly specify some walls for initial planning permit, we can assist be generating a report covering all relevant info that complies with NCC requirements. This significantly streamline your design process, remove all the design-documentation hassle and making the initial building or planning permit a lot faster.Or if you're a builder or contractor that wish to run some value engineering on your projects, our team of engineers are able to run analysis and rationalise all wall types in ensuring you have the most optimum design. Speak to one of our engineers and see how we can assist your projects.
What is SOU - Sole Occupancy Unit?
Sole-occupancy unitA sole-occupancy unit is an area within abuilding for the exclusive use of the owner or occupier. It is irrelevant if the area is occupied by an individual, a number of people, or by acompany. Exclusivity of use is the key factor in determining whether an area or room is a sole-occupancy unit. For example, A residential apartment or flat ; orA room or suite of rooms in a Class 3 building which includes sleeping facilities; orA room or suite of associated rooms in a Class 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 building; orA room or suite of associated rooms in a Class 9c building; or Self-contained unit; orA suite of rooms in a hotel or motel; orA shop in a shopping centre.
What Are the Different Types of Party Walls?
There are a number of commonly available party wall systems which provide compliant party walls in accordance with the NCC. These include:
– masonry walls of either brickwork or blockwork with a minimum thickness of 90mm as defined under the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Provisions of the NCC,
– proprietary masonry walls systems assessed by a Registered Testing Authority (RTA) to meet the DTS Provisions of the NCC,
– proprietary lightweight walls systems assessed by a Registered Testing Authority (RTA) to meet the DTS Provisions of the NCC.
As the construction industry is steadily seeking to reduce the number of trades on construction sites, lightweight wall solutions, such as plasterboard systems are becoming more de rigueur than traditional masonry systems.
Commonly available lightweight party walls systems include:
– double stud steel or timber framing with fire rated plasterboard with 20mm gap discontinuous construction,
– double stud timber or steel framing with an inner fire rated Shaftliner with non-fire rated internal linings with 20mm gap discontinuous construction,
– staged wall solutions which allow progressive construction of attached dwellings by offering initial protection of the external wall from the outside only, which then, when built side-by-side, provide a compliant party wall system.
Lightweight wall options are proprietary solutions and require compliance with the installation requirements of the manufacturer. Where necessary, consultation with the manufacturer is highly recommended at the design stage.
Party walls provide several benefits to both homeowners and businesses. They can help to reduce noise levels between properties, provide privacy, and provide protection from the elements. They can also provide stability and support to the walls and floors of the building.
In addition, party walls can help to reduce the cost of heating and cooling a building if they are designed properly. By providing a barrier between two properties, party walls can help to keep the temperature of both properties more consistent, thus reducing the amount of energy needed to keep the building comfortable.
Renovations and regulations
Party walls are a common source of problems between neighbours. A wall may be solely owned by one resident or ownership may be split equally between the two. Even if you are the rightful owner of a party wall though, you may not commence any large scale work or renovations on the wall without first gaining consent from the from the building owner on the other side of the wall. Sound is another breeding ground for neighbourly disputes. Even with heavy insulation, sound can travel between shared walls and down from ceilings. Normal living sounds can be amplified and even seem intentional at times (never put your bed next to a party wall!). Any dispute with a neighbour should be approached in a calm and friendly manner - remember you share your living space with these people!
What Are the Requirements for Building a Party Wall?
Compliance with the NCC and the Australian Standards referenced within the NCC is absolutely mandatory. There are three paths to compliance:
– meeting the Performance Requirements by complying with the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions
– formulating an Alternative Solution by meeting the Objectives and Functional Statements within the required clauses of the NCC, or
– a combination of the two paths.
Party wall construction typically requires compliance with three Standards. These include:– Fire Resistance Levels (FRL),
– achieving adequate acoustic separation, and where required
– maintaining discontinuous construction.
– Thermal Requirement, habitable VS non-habitable
For Domestic Class 1 and 10 buildings
For Class 1 and 10 buildings, the key technical requirements under the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions within Volume 2 of the NCC are:
– the need to maintain a 20mm minimum cavity to achieve discontinuous construction between a bathroom, sanitary compartment, laundry or kitchen and a habitable room (other than a kitchen) in accordance with Table 3.8.6.1 of the NCC,
- achieving an acoustic resistance of Rw+Ctr 50 between dwellings and a Rw+Ctr of between 25 and 40 for a duct, soil waste, water supply pipe or storm water pipe that passes through a separating wall in accordance with Table 3.8.6.1 of the NCC, and
– achieving a FRL of 60/60/60 (from both sides) for Separating Walls which commence at the footings or ground slab and extend to the underside of a non-combustible roof, or not less that 450mm above a combustible roof covering.External walls which are less than 900mm from an allotment boundary, other than the boundary adjoining a road or other public space, or 1.8m from another building on the same allotment are required to have an FRL of not less than 60/60/60 when tested from the outside in accordance with Clause 3.7.1.5 of the NCC.
For Commercial Class 2-9 buildings
For Class 2 and 3 buildings the key technical requirements under the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions within Volume 1 of the NCC are:
– the need to maintain a 20mm minimum cavity to achieve discontinuous construction if it separates a bathroom, sanitary compartment, laundry or kitchen in one sole-occupancy unit from a habitable room (other than a kitchen) in an adjoining unit; or a sole-occupancy unit from a plant room or lift shaft in accordance with Clause F5.5(a) of the NCC,
– achieving an acoustic resistance of Rw+Ctr 50, if it separates sole occupancy units; and have an Rw 50, if it separates a sole occupancy unit from a plant room, lift shaft, stairway, public corridor, public lobby or the like, or parts of a building with a different classification in accordance with Clause F5.5(a) of the NCC,
– achieving a FRL of -/60/60 for non load bearing walls and 90/90/90 for load bearing walls (from both sides) between or bounding SOU in accordance with Specification C1.1 of the NCC.
External walls may be required to have an FRL when tested from the outside, depending on the proximity of a fire source in accordance with Specification C1.1 of the NCC.How to build them correctly? There are a lot of moving parts and many stakeholders involved, sometimes it can be difficult to manage all the required information and ensure what was initially specified gets built at the end. This is where we may be able to add value to your projects.
