Spandrel Panels
What is a Spandrel Panel?
Spandrel panels are custom-designed to seamlessly integrate with your roof structure. Our team of experts will design the panels to match the exact contours of your roof, ensuring a perfect fit. We use high-quality 15mm Fermacell gypsum boarding on both sides of the panel within our workshop. This specialist board guarantees a 60-minute fire rating, surpassing all regulatory requirements. Furthermore, Fermacell offers excellent sound insulation properties, tested to comply with Part E sound insulation performance standards.
How do Spandrel Panels work?
Spandrel panels are designed to "sit on" and be securely fastened to the existing masonry party wall. The industry standard body, The Trussed Rafter Association (TRA), provides a comprehensive guide outlining the general installation process for spandrel panels. Traditionally, fire barriers between dwellings were constructed using brickwork. This method requires bricklayers to halt work while the roof is installed and then return later to build the barriers. This approach can lead to project delays and additional management headaches. Additionally, traditional methods necessitate extra scaffolding and expose workers to extended periods at height, increasing safety risks.
Gable Panels
What is a Gable Panel?
Gable panels are pre-manufactured timber frame panels that are clad with 9mm ply to the external face. These panels are designed as an alternative for traditional gable end masonry walls. As opposed to spandrel panels that sit within a roof structure, these gable panels form an exposed face of the building. Therefore, there are many design considerations that we will need to be considered for you to ensure the panel is fit for purpose.
How do Gable Panels Work?
The gable panel works by a specialised system of restraint down to the masonry wall below. One of our trade partners, Simpson Strong Tie, has undergone extensive research and development, alongside the TRA to develop a new clip which restrains the panel back to the blockwork below. The panel is then installed on top of the wall and tied back to the trusses with a variety of timber and straps as indicated by our gable panel installation guide.
The gable panel must resist wind loads to the face of the panel, hence the need for adequate restraint to the walls below and the roof structure adjacent to it. All of these factors are designed into your project by one of our highly skilled designers.
Once the panel is safely installed, the outer leaf of brickwork can be built. This is then tied back into the panel using brick ties fixed into the ply-cladded face of the gable panel.