Gulf Construction Online - Passive protection plays key role

Fire Protection

Promat systems can be used for various applications.

Passive protection plays key role

Inherently simple yet highly functional, passive fire protection is becoming hot property in the Gulf, says MARK LAVENDER, marketing manager (Fire Applications) of Promat, UK.

01 March 2005

While saving lives always remains the top priority of building designers, appropriate fire protection can also help save both the building, as well as the business.

Fire protection is not an area where architects, engineers and clients can afford to cut corners as it is well known that steel loses its load-bearing capacity at just over 550 deg C – a temperature rapidly reached in many fire conditions.
The key would be to strike a balance between the use of active protection measures, such as sprinklers, and passive protection – elements that are literally built into the fabric of a building. Passive protection systems provide vital protection for load-bearing columns, beams and floors and create fire ‘compartments’ and barriers, which are able to hold back fires for up to 240 minutes.
Promat, a leader in passive fire protection products and systems, has been supplying its services within the Middle East for more than 20 years, and has an impressive list of clients.
In Dubai, the company’s clientele includes Emirates airlines, the Jumeirah Beach and Burj Al Arab luxury hotels. Elsewhere in the region, Promat products are protecting structural steel at the Al Salaam Hospital in Saudi Arabia, and the Ministry of Petroleum in Oman.
So what are these clients buying into?
In basic terms, they are buying peace of mind. Passive fire protection creates a physical barrier to contain heat and prevent the spread of smoke and fire. It can’t be turned off, requires no power or water to work, and remains passive until it’s called on to provide fire protection.
In practice, Promat UK’s products help control the course of a fire and the damage it can do and thereby offers occupants sufficient time to evacuate the building and firefighters a chance to stop its collapse.
The company manufactures a broad range of fully tried and tested, high-performance products for the construction and industrial markets. Its world-renowned brands include the Supalux, Masterboard, Durasteel and Vermiculux range of fire protection boards, and Promatect 250 – a specially developed lightweight product for protecting structural steel.
Promat’s application range includes partitions and barriers, ceilings, structural steel protection, fire-rated ducting, thermal soffit lining and fire doors. Backing this up, Promat has Systemglas, a unique fire-resistant glazing system, Durasteel fire barriers for exceptional fire protection, and the Promaseal fire-stopping range - which is designed to plug any gaps in the passive protection system.
Such gaps are typically at service points through walls and ceilings, but could also include gaps left for structural movement or poor workmanship. Promaseal’s range of fire stopping materials includes intumescent and silicone sealant, fire barrier and coating, fire rated compound, expansion joint strips, pipe collars and pipe wraps.
The designers of the Burj Al Arab Hotel chose Supalux to line the hotel’s lift shafts. Supalux is a general purpose, non-combustible board developed to give up to 240 minutes fire protection for floors and ceilings, internal walls and partitions and steelwork. At the Dubai International Airport, a Supalux dividing wall separates two hangars for Emirate Airlines. The airline has also used it for fire-rated partitions at its training centre in Dubai.
Another project from the company’s range, Vermiculux has been developed to give up to 240 minutes fire protection for structural steelwork and concrete floors which would otherwise deform or collapse in the event of fire. The product has been protecting steelwork at the award-winning Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
Fire-rated ducting, meanwhile, is used for smoke extracts and exhaust ducts, especially in cinemas and large shopping malls. It is also used for extracting hot gases and vapours in commercial kitchens.
Promat’s boards are strong, light, durable, dimensionally stable and easy to work using woodworking tools. They are designed for fast and easy installation - requiring no specialist equipment - and can be screwed together to form casings, which may remove the need for separate framing elements. The boards can be painted, without the need for special primers, or left undecorated.
Though outstanding fire performance is often the sole reason for selecting these products, their other properties bring many benefits for a broad range of building applications. The boards are made from fire-safe calcium silicate, a naturally moisture-resistant material, which makes them useful in areas where humidity or moisture are problems - and will retain their dimensional stability even in wet conditions.
This means the fire protection of steelwork and the inclusion of barriers, partitions and linings can proceed early in the building process, even before the envelope is weathertight, thus minimising the risk of fire destroying the building before completion. Even on an exposed site, the boards will not rot, bow or warp.
Promat’s products, which are readily available from distributors in the region, are fully tested to meet exacting British standards and the new Euroclass codes.
When it comes to customer support, Promat is renowned for its proficient technical backup and draws on the resources and expertise of a worldwide research network and 40 years experience in passive fire protection.
Owned by Etex, a European building materials group with centres in more than 30 countries, Promax forms a global network of specific knowledge concerning fire protection and high temperature insulation. The company is constantly in tune with the legislation and building culture of the countries in which it operates.
Promat UK aims to work with designers to achieve the most cost-effective solutions without compromising performance. It can also help on the ground, for example, by cutting materials to size and prefabricating in its workshops to reduce expensive application time on site.
Its fire protection manuals are well known as the industry standard for fire-safe construction around the world and offer tried-and-tested solutions for fire protection and safety.
The company recently published a comprehensive guide, the Passive Fire Protection Handbook, which is a one-stop reference for all the information that building professionals need to ensure they meet the rigorous demands of modern fire protection. Far more than just a product catalogue, the 180-page handbook details cost-effective solutions for every major element of fire protection in construction and is available, for free, as a website download, in hard copy or CD-Rom.
Promat UK has further strengthened its support for customers by launching a definitive website for passive fire protection. The new website www.promat.co.uk provides a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute guide to Promat’s products and services and offers an at-a-glance briefing on all Promat’s products, together with examples of product applications and lots of literature downloads including the Passive Fire Protection Handbook.