When it opens to students in September, Dubai’s new University of Birmingham will become the first major new education campus in the UAE to use an innovative new plasterboard lining developed by Saint-Gobain Gyproc for increased impact resistance and simple, high-load fixing.

 

Gyproc Habito is manufactured using groundbreaking new technology that produces a unique high strength dense plaster core capable of supporting weights of up to 30kg from just a normal 5 mm woodscrew or no 10 screw. This will give the university the flexibility to add or reposition heavy wall-mounted items and quickly reconfigure teaching spaces to match the developing curriculum and changing teaching methods, said the company.

 

The high strength Habito plasterboard, which is strong enough to shrug off everyday knocks and scrapes, will also keep walls looking pristine for longer, and thus cut down on the regular maintenance work in corridors and other high traffic areas, that can be expensive and very disruptive to teaching programmes, it said.

 

The new Habito lining is part of a package of Gyproc acoustic and fire-resistant interior products and systems, including GypWall Quiet twin-frame acoustic separating walls and Gyproc ShaftWall, valued at almost Dh2 million ($544514), installed at the new University by Dubai-based interiors and soundproofing specialist contractors, Hillpoint Building Solutions.

 

Described as an important milestone in the goal to build a world-class education hub in Dubai, the new University of Birmingham is located in Dubai International Academic City, the world’s first free zone dedicated to higher education.

 

It will be the first global top 100 and UK Russell Group University to establish a campus in Academic City and will provide students with the opportunity to study on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, focused initially on Business, Economics, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, as well as a range of teacher training degrees. - TradeArabia News Service