Used for loadbearing and non-loadbearing walls. Non-loadbearing partitions are usually smaller than their loadbearing counterparts. Do not require sheathing. Usually covered both sides in plasterboard with joints taped and filled. A vapour control layer is to be incorporated between the insulation and the plasterboard to minimise the risk of condensation occurring within the wall panel.
Some plasterboards have an integral vapour check.
Nailed through the breather paper, sheeting and fixed to the studs. Needs to be restrained by the timber frame otherwise it would buckle in high winds. Method of restraint must allow for the differential movement between the brickwork and timber. The timber structure will suffer slight shrinkage during the early stages of its life thus the ties between the brickwork and the panels must accommodate for this. Timber frame houses - windows fixed to the timber panels before the external cladding commences.