Innovation Simplifies SAHMRI Fitout

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)

USG Boral’s patented FIBEROCK® - a multi-functional and sustainable material was used for all the wall linings and wall partitions throughout the multiple-award winning SAHMRI; the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. 

Instead of using a variety of lining and board products and all the complexity that entails, the contractor at Ceiling and Wall Contractors, used just the one product - USG Boral FIBEROCK® Aqua Tough™ throughout the $200 million, 30,000 square metre facility which included labs, research areas and offices. USG Boral FIBEROCK® covers a lot of bases – it’s resistant to water, fire, mould and impact, and has superior acoustic qualities. 

In total, 30,000m² of FIBEROCK® Aqua Tough™ was supplied to the SAHMRI project with USG Boral staff working closely with Ceiling and Wall Contractors and Hindmarsh to ensure supplies were on the ground in a timely manner.

A leading global manufacturer of building materials and solutions, USG Boral has been innovating with synthetic gypsum for over 30 years with the technology for FIBEROCK® Aqua Tough™ developed 15 years ago. 

“It is like paperless plasterboard, except plasterboard relies on the paper for its strength and FIBEROCK® Aqua Tough™ is created by a patented process of growing gypsum under high pressure. It interlinks the crystals with paper, so there is no paper needed on the outside. There is also no possibility of delamination, as it is a solid matrix,” explained USG Boral National Architectural & Specifications Manager, Peter Wood. 

“All the required testing has been completed to have FIBEROCK® Aqua Tough™ approved by GECA as a sustainable product. Its recyclability is good and every board can be re-used by removing it, rebating the edges and using it elsewhere. FIBEROCK® also contains very little new material. It is comprised of 10% recycled cellulose (from post-industrial paper and cardboard), and 85% re-encapsulated gypsum.”

FIBEROCK® Aqua Tough™ has been used in the majority of recent major health infrastructure projects due to its high performance specifications. These are ideal for settings such as Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Gold Coast University Hospital, the Mater Queensland and Midland Hospital Perth.

“A hospital might require up to 70 different wall systems – we can narrow it down to half a dozen” said Peter.

“It is a finished wall system, and the higher cost of the board compared to conventional plasterboard is balanced by the time, labour and logistical savings. A contractor can achieve with a single layer of FIBEROCK® what other walls would achieve with a double layer."

Click here to read our Whitepaper on designing versatile healthcare facilities.