News

Hospitals are generally not places people aspire to go to. Drab, grey and unwelcoming, with overworked and underpaid staff is many people’s experience. But a growing body of research linking patient wellbeing to the quality of their surroundings has inspired some amazing hospital interior designs. Colour, light and minimalism are all playing a role. See […]

If you’re about to open or makeover a coffee shop, café or casual restaurant, what are the café design trends and ideas to be aware of? Here, we unveil six of the trends from those in the know. Interior design blogger Emily Osmond, picks 5 café interior trends to take note of; we share two from her […]

Evidence-based Design (EBD) for healthcare is on the rise. Two recent examples where EBD has been used for designing healthcare institutions in Australia are the Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth and the Gold Coast University Hospital. Many more examples from all over the world can be found in a collection of case studies published from the Center for Health […]

Remember Florence Nightingale? The Lady with the Lamp? She rose to fame for her part in the Crimean War in the 1850s, and is considered by many to be the founder of modern nursing. But what can she teach us today? Quite a lot, it turns out. A growing body of evidence suggests that many […]

Reverberation time  In a closed space, sound gets reflected many times from hard and smooth surfaces and creates a reverberation. In other words, the sound persists long after its source ceased generating it. Sounds reflected from multiple surfaces also add up to increase the noise (decibel) level in the room. In an enclosed space, for […]

Acoustic design is one of those often ignored aspects or architecture – and it shouldn’t be. As Master of Sound Julian Treasure says: “Sound must be carefully considered in the design process, whether for a building or an environment…There is no time to lose in getting this message across to architects, planners, government, and those commissioning buildings: […]

One of the most common questions we get asked is “how can one system have two different Fire Resistance Levels (FRLs) and what does each one mean?” For example a wall system can have -/90/90 and 60/60/60. Even for architects, understanding the requirements of the Building Code Australia (BCA), can be confusing. But when it […]

Sound impacts our wellbeing, our health and even our mood. Sound also affects our performance and our ability to concentrate. Sound is pretty powerful, so powerful in fact that engineering students of the George Mason University have developed a sonic fire extinguisher that puts out fires with low level sound waves.’ This may not have much to do […]

Have you ever stood still in a rainforest to listen to the beautiful silence? Sometimes the only the sound you will hear will be the silent hush of the trees above or the occasional chirping of a bird. This lack of sound is not only explained by the absence of humans and their noise, but […]

Up to 90% of bathroom complaints relate to waterproofing and leakages. Shower areas are particularly notorious for causing problems, and they require special attention to prevent water and moisture from oozing through the barriers to underlying structures, resulting in costly and disruptive repairs. Leakages do not only lead to deterioration in the appearance of the […]

When you’re working on a construction project, whether it’s a large commercial build or a home renovation, there are multiple products and services that have to be pulled together to ensure a successful outcome. Combining products from different manufacturers in the overall project is generally not an issue, but what about the situation where the […]

After some of Australia’s most extreme weather conditions in the far north east of the country, many people are still in recovery mode with severe damage to many properties. Unfortunately, plasterboard products can be adversely affected by flood and water damage and need to be replaced or repaired as soon as possible. Whether you’re in […]

With so many of Australia’s regions affected by hot and humid weather, especially during the summer months, it’s likely that we’ve all experienced problems with mould around the home at some point or other. Because mould spores are in the atmosphere naturally and can grow on just about any surface, it’s almost impossible to eliminate […]

Once the interior plasterboard walls are installed, your construction project is really starting to take shape, with just the finishing touch needed – painting. We covered what the Australian Standards are for painting new plasterboard in our previous blog post and, with all that taken into consideration, you’re ready to complete the job for the […]

When new plasterboard interiors are installed, how they’re coated for the first time will have a major impact in determining the quality of the finished job. The industry as a whole has set specific minimum requirements for painting plasterboard walls, and, adhering to these standards is important in achieving a higher quality, longer lasting finish […]

How to beat the heat and overcome the challenges of jointing plasterboard in extreme summer temperatures During the long, hot summer months, and especially in the northern regions of Australia, the country experiences some extreme weather conditions that can significantly affect the performance of setting compounds. One issue when installing plasterboard at this time of […]

During the longer days of the summer months, the impact of glancing light becomes more apparent when home owners get to see their beautiful interiors bathed in the natural light of our summer evenings. And, their once-smooth walls take on a life of their own providing a terrain that any mountain-biker would relish. That’s perhaps […]

As an active participant in the construction industry with a focus on quality and safety, Knauf Australia is always looking for ways to be involved in improving information and knowledge availability. Our recent product listings on the National Construction Product Register (NPCR) is just one of the ways that we are doing this. With eighteen […]