MarriottMarriott International, Inc. Project Profile Orlando, Florida Marriott Uses Fibreglass Mat Dens® Brand Gypsum Panels for Construction and Renovation Faced with preventing moisture issues while keeping time sensitive projects in mind, Marriott International, Inc.'s design and construction team chose the Georgia-Pacific fibreglass mat Dens® Brand gypsum panels for the Orlando, Florida-area hotel projects. The Georgia-Pacific Gypsum fibreglass mat products used for multiple projects included: DensGlass® Sheathing, DensGlass® Shaftliner and DensShield® Tile Backer. The fibreglass mat panels not only mitigated the team's concerns with moisture management during construction, but it also saved significant time between closing for renovations and re-opening. The faster the projects are completed, the faster hotels can begin filling rooms with paying guests. Collaboration leads to innovation Among the first and most influential users of DensGlass Sheathing was Marriott, based in Bethesda, Maryland with more than 2,900 hotel properties in the United States and 67 other countries. Several dozen properties are in and around Orlando, and have included one or more Dens Brand gypsum products in the construction or renovation of area hotels. Warren Neiman of Marriott who specializes in full-service domestic hotel renovation was an early advocate of Georgia-Pacific's fibreglass mat products. According to Warren Barber, Georgia-Pacific product manager for Dens Brand products, "We listened to what Warren Neiman had to say. Our best innovations and product extensions come from the design and contractor community. If they're having a problem, and they think it would be better for them if we customized an existing product a bit to solve it, we're always ready to listen." Neiman adds, "Georgia-Pacific is very easy to work with and they know that if you make something people need, they'll buy it. We want to maintain Marriott's high standards in all that we do, and that's what we look for in the products we use." mould and moisture concerns inside and out The hot and humid climate of the Orlando area can create moisture problems during and after construction. In Marriott hotel rooms, whose construction preceded the advent of the fibreglass mat Georgia-Pacific gypsum panels, the moisture-laden air with air-conditioning units near windows gets trapped in wall cavities forming condensation. The mixture of moisture and condensation with paper-faced drywall creates a haven for mould growth. Marriott's design and construction team searched for solutions to moisture problems found in renovations and ways to eliminate the problem in new structures. The team's choice to use fibreglass mat gypsum panels from Georgia-Pacific Gypsum was easy. An elegant solution The team quickly embraced the DensGlass® Sheathing because of its increased moisture and mould resistance over paper-faced options for their Orlando area projects. Lengthy new construction cycles and renovation projects in the hospitality industry often fall victim to rain and other adverse weather conditions in such humid locales; therefore, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum fibreglass mat products have proven to be especially attractive over paper-faced alternatives. They are the market's first exterior gypsum panels to be backed with a limited warranty against delamination and deterioration for up to 12 months of exposure to normal weather conditions. (DensArmor Plus® Interior panels are warranted up to 12-months.) Long-term mould risks are greatly reduced by eliminating the food source for mould making fibreglass mat products the best solution for both pre- and post-construction potential moisture and mould growth issues. Georgia-Pacific Gypsum estimates that it has provided a variety of Dens® products to hundreds of Marriott construction or renovation projects throughout the United States. Neiman, Marriott's full-service domestic hotels renovation specialist, estimates that the company does more than 200 renovation projects in the U.S. every year—including the remodeling of guest rooms, lobbies, restaurants and ballrooms. Early installation speeds openings fibreglass mat gypsum products accelerate the remodeling and construction process while eliminating the moisture problem allowing quicker openings or re-openings of hotels. Marriott's construction and design team were able to speed the construction and renovation process because DensArmor Plus interior panels could be installed earlier in the process, potentially allowing other trades to begin work sooner. John Hurst, architectural group manager for Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, noted that the evolution of and ongoing acceptance for the Dens product line by the hospitality industry companies is simple to understand. "When you can show a property owner with high occupancy rates that his hotel will get built or remodeled faster and also last longer—the choice is simple." Georgia-Pacific Canada |