Interior construction

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Interior construction
Harvard Graduate School of Design
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Technical criteria for interior construction

• 1. Safety regulations governing material behavior
  in fire/natural disaster
• 2. Durability relative to impact loads (humans,
  furnishings, etc)
• 3. Ease of maintenance
• 4. Tactile environment
• 5. Acoustic environment (reflective/absorptive
  surfaces)
• Weathering and waterproofing concerns less
  important

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Fire safety regulations building codes classify
buildings by

• 1. Use or occupancy
• assembly, business, educational, factory,
  hazardous,
• institutional, mercantile, residential, storage,
  utility
• 2. Construction type (types 1 thru 5)
• combustible, noncombustible, and combination
• These classifications together determine
• allowable building footprint
• height number of stories
• applicable fire safety requirements

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Construction types based on fire ratings of
structural and enclosure materials
Types 1 2All noncombustibleconstruction
Type 5Combustible structure
Types 3 4Noncombustible exterior walls
combustible interior structure
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Construction types based on fire ratings of
structural and enclosure materials
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Interior finish materials and assemblies are
given fire resistance rating.

• Class I (ASTM 0 - 25) least combustible
• Class II (ASTM 26 - 75)
• Class III (ASTM 76 - 200) most restricted use
• Ratings based on material composition, thickness,
  conditions of substrate and attachment.
• American Society for Testing and Materials

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Special areas of regulation

• Fire stairs and means of egress
  
• very strict in most occupancies
• 2. Vertical shafts, duct penetrations
• 3. High-ceiling spaces
• 4. Doors and their hardware
• 5. Glazed areas
• Many traditional flooring materials (wood,
  vinyl tile, terrazzo) exempt from restrictions
  except in cases of unusual danger.

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Maintenance issues

• 1. Porosity of finish surface
• acceptance of dirt, grease, dust
• 2. Exposure to water
• 3. Exposure to human touch/ interaction

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Acoustical dilemma

• Hard, non-porous surfaces are easy to maintain
  but can create reverberant, harsh acoustic
  environments.
• Quiet spaces generally require combination of
  hard and soft finishes.