GIRI collaborates on new best practice guide for ‘walls as a system’

GIRI has collaborated with other industry experts on a new best practice guide launched by the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) – Walls as a System. 

The guide will help specifiers, designers, installers and building owners to ensure compatibility of compliant test evidence across building components assembled into larger supersystems.

It addresses a critical issue in modern construction: the tendency to design and specify building components in isolation, without considering how they interact as part of larger systems. By introducing the concept of ‘walls as a system’, FIS is promoting a more holistic approach to building design and construction, ensuring interfaces, penetrations, glazing and doors have compatible and compliant test evidence. 

Developed with input from technical experts and a wider group of peer reviewers across the sector, this guide represents a collaborative effort to provide clear, relevant, and concise design guidance. It aligns with the RIBA Plan of Work and the Building Safety Act Gateways for Higher Risk Buildings, emphasising early engagement with manufacturers and contractors. 

This new guide highlights the importance of early planning and clear communication in the design process. It introduces the term ‘fire wall’ to emphasise the critical protective function of certain walls, aligning with existing terms like fire doors and fire glass. The guide includes up-to-date guidance on maintaining the compartment lines below raised access floors and above glazed fire walls with drop bulkheads, as well as addressing how the imposed load from the walls, glazing and doors will be supported. The appendix includes a list of all relevant standards and a list of further reading.

Commenting on the guide, Iain McIlwee, Chief Executive of  FIS said: “This new walls as a system guide represents a significant step forward in how we approach wall design and construction. By considering walls as integrated systems, we can enhance building safety, performance and compliance across the industry. 

“It shows the sector coming together to provide clear, relevant and concise guidance. The core message being early engagement with manufacturers and contractors to ensure that what is designed can be compliantly delivered.” 

Cliff Smith, Executive Director of the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) added: "At GIRI, we welcome the publication of this best practice guide to wall design and production. It reinforces our message that early engagement, robust planning and a systems approach are vital to getting it right from the start, eliminating error and improving productivity.” 

You can download the Best Practice Guide – Walls as a System here https://www.thefis.org/membership-hub/publications/best-practice-guides/walls-as-a-system