To provide the utmost sanitary conditions in the North Shore’s Shakespeare Road Medical Centre, architect Jonathan Walker specified ClimateLine plasterboard.

ClimateLine is pre-finished with a Climate® coating eliminating the need for stopping, sanding and painting, therefore cutting down on labour time and costs, and ridding building sites of dust and paint fumes.  Its technologically advanced membrane, with a Teflon additive, can be cleaned time and time again, without damaging the surface or rubbing away as would occur with paint.

“The finish was ideal for a healthcare application,” says Jonathan. “The powder-coated surface meets all hygiene requirements and produced very clean areas throughout the building.  And the stain sheen finish is absolutely perfect. You’d never get a paint finish that good. It’s a high-tech, clean, crisp finish that suits a medical building.”

The facilities department of Middlemore Hospital’s lower ground and gastro ward refit were of the same opinion. They specified its use in the busy hospital three years ago, after extensive testing proved the product met all of their strict requirements.

Climate Surfaces’ Mark Sixton says in a continuation of the company’s research and development, they have recently released an antimicrobial version of ClimateLine plasterboard. The coating contains silver-based agents to prevent the growth and migration of bacteria, mould and fungus on the product.

In the Shakespeare Road Medical Centre’s project, ClimateLine was used in all ten rooms, though its application differs from space to space to suit specific requirements. For example, the operating rooms have a silicone join to achieve the highest hygiene ratings, while other rooms feature the company’s custom jointing system, which makes installation precise and simple. In the reception area the boards run vertically to match the ceiling panels and create a design feature.

Two standard shades were used, Arctic Frost and Ivory, though custom colours are available.

ClimateLine also helped with the fact that the health centre was built off site and moved into place upon completion. The architect says the jointer system was a much better option than stop joints, because they were able to flex without damage during transportation.

And, although time wasn’t an issue at the onset of the project, it was at the outset.

“If we had used [traditional plasterboard] we would have had to stop it and paint it once it was on site and there just wasn’t time. It would have been a big issue getting rid of the building dust, too. They were operating in that building four weeks after it was moved, so it had to be a functional building as soon as it was on site.”

Mark Hellyer from Macrennie Construction says another advantage was that his team was able to install the boards, instead of additional trades being required.

“The best thing was that once it was up it was done; finished, and you could walk away. There were no stoppers in there making a mess, no dust to clean up, no painting and no patching required. And because of the jointer system you always know your exact measurements.”