Internal Partitions ~ these are vertical dividers which are used to
separate the internal space of a building into rooms and
circulation areas such as corridors. Partitions which give support
to a floor or roof are classified as load bearing whereas those
which give no such support are called non-load bearing.
Load Bearing Partitions ~ these walls can be constructed of bricks,
blocks or in-situ concrete by traditional methods and have the
design advantages of being capable of having good fire resistance
and/or high sound insulation. Their main disadvantage is
permanence giving rise to an inflexible internal layout.
Non-load Bearing Partitions ~ the wide variety of methods
available makes it difficult to classify the form of partition but
most can be placed into one of three groups:-
- Masonry partitions.
- Stud partitions † see pages 630 to 632.
- Demountable partitions † see pages 634 & 635.
Masonry Partitions ~ these are usually built with blocks of clay or
lightweight concrete which are readily available and easy to
construct thus making them popular. These masonry partitions
should be adequately tied to the structure or load bearing walls to
provide continuity as a sound barrier, provide edge restraint and
to reduce the shrinkage cracking which inevitably occurs at
abutments. Wherever possible openings for doors should be in the
form of storey height frames to provide extra stiffness at these
positions.
Partitions