Our client is an aerospace contractor that designs, develops, produces and supports an advanced portfolio of aeronautical products. Specifically, they produce Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) that are used by government agencies domestically and abroad in order to gain intelligence in areas when it is not ideal for a pilot to fly. These sophisticated remote control planes are used in a multitude of applications that range from weather data collection to intelligence. The company wanted to segregate the production areas for these aircraft and create more defined storage areas within its California production facility.
Project Overview
Application: Production Area Segregation in unmanned aircraft production facility
Product: OmniFlex with Freestanding Wall Panels, Standard and Custom Sized Fire and Sound Wall Panels, 12" Integrated Window Panes
Benefits Provided:
- Segregated Work Areas
- Provided Visibility Into Work Areas
- Lower Cost than Standard Furniture Alternative
- Custom Painted to Match Existing Structures
The Challenge
Because the facility had an open floor plan and government regulations mandated that the company be able to closely monitor all work, the industrial partitions needed to enable supervisors to oversee all production through the wall partitions. It was determined that the company needed freestanding wall partitions with windows in order to segregate the space while maintaining the openness of the current layout.
The Solution
The client required that the system fit within a predetermined footprint, while still looking cohesive throughout the facility. The defense contractor also needed the wall system to be custom painted to match the existing interiors. After contacting a traditional furniture manufacturer, it was determined that a modular freestanding wall panel system would be a better fit because of ease-of-assembly, lower cost and added durability.
PortaFab Modular Building Systems utilized its OmniFlex 3" freestanding wall partition system with window panes that spanned the top foot of each wall. The polystyrene core of the Fire and Sound Panel's core provides excellent thermal insulation and sound deadening properties. This core combines with a layer of gypsum to achieve a Class A noncombustible rating so areas were sufficiently insulated. Most panels stood approximately 69" high including the 12" view panel and several custom panel sizes were also incorporated into the design as needed.
The components were painted to match the existing décor and created a visually pleasing divider system. The windows enabled supervision and observation capabilities while maintaining the space division desired. Now the space is separated and the panels can be reconfigured in the future as needed which would not have been as possible with traditional furniture solutions.
