The search for an interior movable wall that can replace conventionally constructed interior walls has been active for some time.  No product introduction has shown such promise as StarwallUSA’s new NxtWall Series interior movable and architectural walls.

The challenges of delivering a solution to the existing approach of design, build, teardown, dispose and rebuild of interior walls have been many.  The biggest difficulty was delivering an interior movable wall that was affordable.  The second challenge, and a challenge linked to cost was delivering a wall that is fundamentally different in terms of flexibility.  The idea of paying more without the benefit of having a movable wall that can meet the varying space, height, and building constraints has limited the growth potential for this industry that seems so logical.  Finally, a wall that looks and sounds like a built wall seemed considerably out of reach.

The introduction of a “new generation” wall, our Nxtwall solution presents a real game-changing opportunity to make a difference.  No product delivers on flexibility, cost, acoustical needs, aesthetics, strength and durability, fire rating and sustainability like the NxtWall series product.  The integration of our NxtWall series wall enables the StarwallUSA product offering to deliver the broadest and most scalable interior wall solution on the market today.  The NxtWall solution offers the following features:

• Sound Transmission Category in the upper 40’s depending on the wall option you choose.
• Options for Fire Rated walls with minimal Class A ratings.
• Minimized “nearly seamless” wall joints.
• Robust standard construction wall thickness, 4 7/8”, with ability to utilize standard construction hardware, accessories, and materials readily available in the market.
• Ability to integrate with StarwallUSA Finesse, Classic and Vision product as well as competitive glass front solutions.
• Height and width adjustable unlike the less flexible “unitized” or pre-engineered demountable wall solutions from earlier generations.
• High quality and high definition wrapped wall board material with many finishes.
• Demountable construction consisting of tracks and studs that snap-fit together.
• Accessory options like whiteboards.
• Truly reusable while cost effectively recyclable (no breakdown cost of “unitized” panels or parts).
• Clearstory for “daylight harvesting” options.
• Minimized kit of parts for ease of inventory and facilities management.

The NxtWall series is fundamentally different, and like no other wall solution on the market.  This product launch makes our StarwallUSA solution not only the most scalable interior wall solution in the market today, but at a price like none other.  Our NxtWall series price position allows facility managers, developers, and real estate professionals to consider an environmentally responsible replacement to drywall.  NxtWall series provides the promise of a different kind of interior movable wall…with a price and flexibility like none other.

NxtWall - Feature Cherry Wall

NxtWall - Demising Wall with TV Mount

There is no dispute about the amount of waste and energy consumption attributed to the construction, maintenance and operation of commercial buildings in North America.  Today, facilities Managers, architects, designers, etc., have made great progress on answering the question on “how to meet the current needs of business without compromise to future generations”.  We have learned much and have much work to accomplish to reverse some of the following findings that represent a small amount of data for an industry that can have a dramatic impact on our energy and waste.

• United States Environmental Protection Agency – Approximately 30% of all landfill waste is from construction, renovation and demolition.  Over 55% is from buildings.
• California Integrated Waste Management Board, 2002 – Over 10% of drywall in new construction ends up as scrap.
• Cornell University Study concluded that for every square foot of drywall installed one pound was waste.
• U.S. Dept of Energy – Commercial Buildings in the U.S. use 17% of all energy.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Of the 14 Sectors that account for 84% of all Green House Gas (GHG) emission, the construction industry was the 3^rd highest with 6% of all GHG emissions.

The above are but a few of the statistics that clearly demonstrate the impact of commercial building construction on our planet…but the impact is equally as great to our people and profits.  Our thinking must change from build, demolish, dispose and re-build to reduce, reuse and recycle.   All sectors must take responsibility so that through our collective stewardship we can make a lasting impact on our environment.

StarwallUSA’s new approach to supporting the “triple bottom line”

Manufacturing of any type has an impact on the environment.   Environmental responsibility begins with a products ability to support significant change and reuse. StarwallUSA has spent much time considering 2 very important aspects of sustainable product design; product reuse and product recycling.  It is our belief that our new generation of movable architectural walls considers all aspects of the “triple bottom line”.

What separates StarwallUSA and our platform of products from earlier generation of walls, both “unitized” or “pre-engineered demountable” wall panels, is our unique product design.  The unique track and stud system with snap fit wall board and glazing options deliver a new generation of interior movable walls.  Our “truly demountable” approach, with “field assembly and fit” allows for a responsible reuse and recycling strategy like no other product in the market today – without the cost.

Category: Demountable Movable Wall Systems
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Architectural demountable walls have seen no shortage of newcomers as of late. It is understandable as the industry continues to place a greater value on how demountable walls can be used as a solution to the demands for a changing office space. The past year we have seen an approximate growth of 34% over the previous year.

What is a demountable architectural wall versus a “unitized” wall? The latter is best defined as an architectural wall that is comprised of a combination of components including; wall board, vertical and horizontal extrusions, ceiling and floor tracks, that when either snapped, clipped or otherwise connected together create a wall that defines space either visually, acoustically and or both.

In comparison to its older generation of wall products, the “Unitized” Wall approach, where panels are assembled in a plant and shipped to a space that was measured weeks earlier, these large panels are stood into place to create these private areas.

Demountable Walls as mentioned when compared to the “unitized” panel approach is a more current of European approaches to make its way to North America, and is quickly becoming the new standard. This more flexible approach provides a more efficient and cost effective flexible wall strategy, while reaching further to support reuse, recycling and LEED initiatives sought after today.

Demountable Walls provide the following benefits beyond “Unitized” panels:

• Ease of field changes at time of install that is often required to dimensional changes at time of construction
• Solid walls can be changed to glass or other type of architectural element from use to reuse
• Flexible components provide for nearly 100% reuse of product regardless of varying height requirements
• Patented vertical and horizontal frames constructed of 100% recyclable aluminum
• Frame system allows use of 100% recyclable and natural light emitting material, including glass in wall installation
• Panel and frame approach allows for wall configuration changes before, during and after installation
• Minimized disruption and debris
• Movable personal property allows for accelerated depreciation
• Door options include hinge, double door, and sliding at 8’, 9’ and 10’ door heights
• Clean and tight assembly for improved acoustics
• Utilizes laminated gypsum, MDF, particle board, corrugated or other material capable of accepting a laminating material

Demountable manufacturers like Starwall, take flexibility to a whole new level. Starwall architectural walls provide added features such as a unique patented door frame that is reversible and flexible, vertical and horizontal studs that hold in solid panels and can be height adjusted are easily retrofitted to accommodate for glass panels, both single and double pane. These retrofits can take place before, during and after initial installation making Starwall a truly unique and flexible solution when compared to traditional “unitized” wall systems.

TYCO ELECTRONICS – May 2010

Greensboro, North Carolina

The Tyco renovation in Greensboro, North Carolina, incorporated Starwall with a low profile raised floor cable management system called Powerflor. The primary interest on the part of the client was to have a flexible interior that minimized electrical and voice/data cabling in the walls so that there was minor disruption of the infrastructure when offices were reconfigured and walls were moved.

The private offices house Senior Engineers and Management staff at the site, and there was a need to provide a high level of acoustic privacy, coupled with maximization of daylight harvesting. It was decided early on in the design process to utilized full-height double glazed office fronts for this reason. Starwall´s Finesse series successfully responded to these twin requirements. The Starwall system rests on top of the Powerflor so that moves and changes are accomplished quickly, and any related disruptions are kept to a minimum. In the photos, you will see the attractive double glazed option along with a photo showing the support of cabinets and power for copiers, etc… when required. Tyco Electronics

For any question regarding this project, please contact:

Starwall USA
Phone: (269) 488-2752
E-mail: info@starwallusa.com

These short term views coupled with the short-term memory that we have, will put at risk the great progress we have made in the development of sustainable “green” solutions and the push for it.  As a business owner, it is understandable to hear customers comment that while it is good to hold or to work hard to employ sustainable building or facilities management concepts, the first focus must be on is it affordability.  This mantra has quickly replaced the most recent views of “let’s be green at just about any cost”, with this serious downturn in our economy.

I believe that if it was a good business decision during the good times, then it should be good during the tough times.  Business decisions should be made considering all aspects; social, economic, environmental, et al.  We cannot simply let people believe that a decision for demountable architectural walls was all about “being green”.  Unfortunately, this view may have crept in due to more sizzle and marketing than on substance or reality.  Too many products brag about their “cradle-to-cradle” design due to the products materiality, and nothing to do with performance, reuse, and the realities of recycling.  A few key questions that should be asked are as follows.

1. Tell me how the product can be changed during use?
   (Be certain to include realistic and often simple changes that are done.)
2. How easy is it to change to address human factors such as sound, natural light, ergonomics, etc.?
3. How will change or reuse impact my costs?
4. What are my costs for the product to return to the “cradle”.
   (This is a very important question; labor too often makes this prohibitive!)
5. Are the materials recyclable and at what costs?

All participants, including manufacturers, sales consultants, designers, architects, engineers and facilities managers, must play an important role in ensuring the progress that has been made in the push to create green buildings to live, learn, and work.  It is time to remove the rhetoric and ratchet up our knowledge and provide the justification that business decision makers need to support a net positive impact on the triple bottom line of economic, environmental and the employees.  We should move beyond “green for green sake” to “green to save green!”  When we accomplish this the momentum will become greater as it will allow our industry to work with the financial decision makers as opposed to against them.

Tough times will require smart thinking and perhaps taking on a bit more risk in their real estate deals.  Finding those safe long-term tenants will undoubtedly prove to be considerably more challenging in the coming months and years ahead.    Good news is that there are ways that landlords and developers can mitigate their risk or reduce cost as they look at their tenant improvements investments.

The growth in use of modular architectural walls like manufacturers such as Starwall (www.starwall.com), will allow easy reuse of these agile architectural components to divide tenant spaces and meet the varying needs of each respective tenant assuming these spaces.  With reuse comes less waste of drywall and construction debris that has been suggested to occupy up to 40% of U.S. landfills.  While BIFMA has tracked a growth in this particular market segment of 35%, the U.S. market will certainly get closer to its European counterparts as the 85% or more of walls constructed with convention construction are replaced with demountable walls that are built up on site, and get closer to the 85% market share they occupy in Europe.

Good news for landlords, developers and facilities managers, the new demountable wall concepts now available in the U.S. market are more affordable than ever, even competitive with conventional construction and with the flexibility to adapt to changing space requirements.  Those cumbersome “unitized” panels that don’t change in look, size and material are quickly being replaced with a demountable wall and truly sustainable “stick built” approach…without the dust, the mess and the delays.

More to come…