The symbiosis of steel and drywall
Short construction times, high design flexibility and efficient assembly thanks to prefabrication - these requirements are met by the RiModul® lightweight steel construction systems. The light profiles have a very high load-bearing capacity. In combination with Rigips® cladding variants, RiModul® systems meet high fire protection requirements. These strengths were used in the Coop distribution center in Gossau for the subsequent installation of a lounge.
Walk-in room-in-room solution
Coop had been thinking about building a comfortable lounge for its employees for a long time. A 5-meter-high room, a kind of gallery, which is also adjacent to other rooms, was ideal for this purpose. But it would have been much too big, with its sand-lime brick walls, not comfortable and not heated. A room-in-room solution therefore offered itself, which could be implemented quickly, without a lot of dirt, but in compliance with all statics and fire protection requirements. Because the assembly took place while the high-bay warehouse was in operation, everything had to be well prepared and done quickly.
Only half a day for the substructure
As with all construction systems with a high degree of prefabrication, precise planning data and error-free transmission to the manufacturer were decisive. All steel profiles were cut to size and provided with the screw and punch holes to facilitate on-site assembly. The individual profiles could be efficiently screwed together using numbers and an assembly plan. Thanks to the corresponding planking, the entire construction has a fire protection rating of REI60. Plasterer entrepreneur Hansjörg Alder: “The steel structure was in the distribution center in just half a day, and within three days it was planked and ready for expansion.” You don’t notice the stylish room and its quality of stay that it was delivered as a kit and set up within a very short time.
Like lightweight construction, simply much more stable
RiModul® is actually nothing more than lightweight construction with stronger profiles. They achieve the best possible ratio of strength to weight, which among other things leads to dimensionally stable constructions – that is, walkable and resilient ceilings with additional usable area – and increased seismic resistance (earthquake security). And the system is based on the principle of prefabrication, which can reduce the overall construction time by up to 60%. RiModul® lightweight steel construction systems also result in significantly lower loads on the foundations than conventional construction methods. Complex objects in new construction and renovation can thus be realized safely, economically and with almost unlimited design flexibility. The RiModul® lightweight steel construction systems are particularly suitable for additions, extensions and, as in the case of Coop, room-in-room constructions. It also makes sense to use it as an external wall system for infilling in hybrid buildings.