Summerset is a fast-growing retirement home provider with 39 villages completed and in development across New Zealand. It all began with a vision to create retirement communities that the founder’s family would be proud to call home, and Summerset has continued this ethos since 1997, providing secure, comfortable, vibrant and welcoming homes and communities. AFS Logicwall has played a key role in Summerset’s apartment projects for 10 years, providing a structural intertenancy wall system that keeps specification and construction simple.

“Summerset has had a long history with AFS,” explains Kevin Hagen, Business Performance Manager, Summerset. “We’ve been specifying AFS Logicwall for many years now, predominantly for intertenancy walls or when we’re trying to achieve shear wall elements.”

In total, AFS has worked with Summerset on 20 villages so far including Summerset on the Landing — a medium density development in Kenepuru, Porirua, and Summerset Heritage Park — a development including a 5-storey apartment building with over 70 units in Ellerslie, Auckland. More recently, AFS are at work installing AFS Logicwall at Summerset Boulcoutt — a new retirement village in Lower Hutt with over 50 units across two four-storey apartment buildings.

For developments of this size, the simplicity and speed of construction of AFS Logicwall has been a huge advantage. “AFS Logicwall is more efficient compared to traditional methodologies like in situ block or concrete,” explains Kevin. The permanent formwork system features fibre cement panels and a steel stud frame which are manufactured offsite, and then efficiently installed on site before being core-filled with concrete. “If you compare that to blockwork, the AFS components are effectively pre-formed which allows you to speed up that initial piece on site.”

The AFS Logicwall system also helps streamline design and compliance by providing fire and acoustic ratings within the system itself — with no requirement for strapping and lining. Depending on the wall thickness specified, AFS Logicwall can achieve up to a 240-minute fire rating without strapping and lining. This gives architects thinner wall build-up options and can save significant time on site.

“With AFS Logicwall, the fire rating is inherent in the makeup of the wall, so we’re not having to strap and line to provide additional fire rating requirements,” says Kevin. “From a fire perspective it’s very straightforward.”

The system also achieves an STC rating of up to 62 prior to strapping and lining with further opportunity to enhance acoustic performance up to STC 69. “We would typically achieve the rating required without strapping and lining,” says Kevin. “Depending on the nature of the building and insulation required we’ll sometimes strap and line, but not often.”

In addition to intertenancy walls, the AFS Logicwall system has also been used for corridor walls and lift and stair shafts throughout Summerset’s apartment buildings. The loadbearing capabilities of AFS Logicwall — which mean it can support concrete floor systems — also makes it a more versatile choice for the apartment buildings when compared to lightweight intertenancy systems.

The ease of compliance, efficiency and high performance of AFS Logicwall has made it a trusted intertenancy wall system for Summerset’s apartment projects, and they already have more projects in the works. “We’ll be using AFS Logicwall in Waikanae which we’re constructing shortly, and it’s been detailed and specified for other future projects too,” says Kevin. “I have no hesitation in specifying AFS Logicwall. It offers simplicity to the design.”