Gulf Construction Online - NFPA 285 test ‘to make UAE buildings safe’

Events

Delegates at the seminar.

NFPA 285 test ‘to make UAE buildings safe’

01 June 2017

The NFPA 285 testing, which has been made mandatory by the new UAE fire code, will help create fireproof buildings in the emirates, said leading industry experts at a key summit in Dubai, UAE.

The NFPA 285 is a standardised fire test procedure for evaluating the suitability of exterior, non-load-bearing wall assemblies and panels used as components of curtain-wall assemblies on buildings where the exterior walls are required to be non-combustible.

More than 200 industry players attended a joint seminar by leading players in the building sector – Alupex, Knauf Insulation and Siderise – to discuss the implications of UAE’s new Fire and Life Safety code.

Alupex is a major brand from Interplast Company, a unit of Group Harwal. Knauf Insulation is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of insulation products and solutions with more than 40 years of experience in the industry, while Siderise is a leading UK-based manufacturer of firestop and acoustic barrier systems for the curtain-walling industry.

Building contractors, developers and consultants were given an in-depth analysis of the NFPA 285 test.

Adams ... focus on fire safety.

“It is important to note that NFPA 285 is an assembly test, all of the components of the façade need to be tested together in a full-scale system,” stated David Adams, the managing director of Knauf Exeed Insulation in the Middle East and South Asia.

“The cladding system contributes to flame spread resulting in risk of multiple simultaneous secondary fires. If the external cladding or insulation contributes to the flame spread, then there is a risk of secondary fire spread to all levels of a building,” noted Adams.

“The NFPA 285 test will ensure that every material that goes into a system meets the fire safety norms. Only approved non-combustible thermal insulation should be used. Glass mineral wool insulation, which has better thermal insulation and is non-combustible, is what we recommend for better fire safety,” he added.

Pravin Kulkarni, the general manager of Interplast Company, highlighted the company’s Alupex A2 NFPA 285-tested wall assembly that meets the stringent standards set by the new fire code.

Chris Hall, the commercial development officer at Siderise, manufacturer of Lamatherm perimeter firestop and cavity barrier, said: “The primary criteria when choosing insulation and materials should be their fire resistance capacity.

“The new code ensures that tests shall be conducted for the entire assembly intended for use on the building façade, including wall panels, cavities, insulation, panel rails, joint sealants, seams, fasteners, barriers and other details.”

Abhishek Chhabra, the business development manager at Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants which offers NFPA 285 testing and certification in the UAE, spoke about the importance of third-party certification in ensuring that all components of the system are fully tested for fire safety compliance.