Recently, there has been a call for change to fire compliance on an international level. In certain areas of a residential care facility, evacuation in the event of a fire is almost impossible. Therefore, fire prevention should be top of mind at the concept stage. In the event of a fire, occupant safety and the protection of adjoining properties are fundamental requirements of building regulations. Fire hazard properties (reducing the spread of a fire) are also to be considered under the BCA C1.10. Multi-level class 9c buildings require non-combustible external walls and fire resistant floors. Refer to BCA C1.12 for materials deemed non-combustible. Others must be tested to AS 1530.1 to determine whether the product is non-combustible.
There are a wide range of building materials and systems on the market which are used for external walls or facades in buildings in Australia. These products can be installed as complete or portions of building facades. Standards Australia has published a new standard, AS 5113 which specifies tests to be undertaken on external cladding products to demonstrate the extent to which they resist the spread of fire. Tests in accordance with the AS 5113, when undertaken by a registered testing laboratory, would be regarded as third party certification for purposes of justifying the compliance with the performance provisions. NCC 2016, Volume One, Amendment 1 has introduced CV3 and reference code AS 5113 for full scale testing of external facades for fire spread. The BCA 2019 will insert CV4 which will describe the process for fire engineered solutions.
Insulation protects the indoor environment from the outdoor temperature in both warm and cold climates. The correct insulation choice is one solution to implement which also has long-lasting benefits. Once installed, Rockwool stone wool insulation does not require any maintenance and will continue to perform over the full lifetime of a building.
When considering insulation, Rockwool stone wool can be used under extreme conditions. It retains its insulation properties in both very low and very high temperatures. Stone Wool insulation is made from volcanic rock, making it naturally durable as it does not contain organic nutrients or cellulose fibres .The high density of the material provides superior sag resistance and remains stable over the life time of a building. Subsequently, it never needs replacing!
