The Gypsum Association has released 2 Web-based applications devoted to the proper specification, installation, storage and use of specialized performance gypsum panel products. Research conducted by the Gypsum Association reveals awareness and understanding of specialized performance panels among architects, specifiers and other A/E/C professionals is less than optimal. Covering both commercial and multifamily structures, these new additions to the GA website are aimed at addressing that information gap by providing essential, yet impartial, information in one place.
Although gypsum wallboard has dominated interior wall construction for more than half a century, this cost-efficient, easy-to-install building material has experienced continuous development and enhancement. The gypsum panel product family now includes boards with features such as improved fire-resistance, increased surface durability, extended weatherability, and an ever-widening list of application-specific, specialty performance characteristics. The performance panels highlighted on gypsum.org are manufactured by all GA member companies and include exterior gypsum sheathing, abuse resistant and impact resistant gypsum panels, mold/moisture resistant panels, and gypsum shaftliner.
“Compared to traditional drywall, specialized performance gypsum panels are relatively new. Educating the A/E/C community on these multi-attribute performance products is an important contribution to the design and construction value chain,” says Executive Director Stephen H. Meima, APR, LEED GA.
Each performance panel type is illustrated in situ, with physical description, advantages and limitations noted. Answers to frequently asked questions are supplied for each performance board. Citations and links to all pertinent ASTM Standards and GA technical and code referenced documents are provided. In addition, a new section on the basics of sound control addresses an increasingly important and code referenced aspect of indoor environmental quality. The acoustics section emphasizes system solutions to sound attenuation recognizing that no single material or structural component can provide the entire solution realistically or cost efficiently.
Commercial and multifamily Web applications are accessible from the homepage of the Gypsum Association’s website at www.gypsum.org.
