Demand for exceptional fire protection boosts Promat DURASTEEL®
01/12/2004
DEMAND is soaring for exceptional fire protection, providing a boost for DURASTEEL®, the market-leading fit-and-forget barrier made by Promat UK Limited.
The high profile fires of recent years have given new urgency to the issue of fire protection. Rigorous British Standard recommendations, Building Regulations, and the growing demands of insurers mean it’s not an area where specifiers and building owners can afford to take a chance. Fire compartmentation using high performance products such as DURASTEEL® are now a vital component of building design. DURASTEEL® meets all the relevant standards.
‘More and more designers and specifiers are choosing DURASTEEL® systems for exceptional fire protection needs,’ says Mark Lavender, market manager for fire applications at Promat UK.
Promat UK Limited is doubling production of DURASTEEL® at its Blackburn factory to meet this demand. ‘This investment ensures we can meet that growing demand and strengthens our premier position in the industry,’ says Lavender.
The company is also releasing new application guides for the specification of DURASTEEL® fire barriers and fire-rated ducting.
DURASTEEL® offers a complete containment system – a solution that’s been tried and tested under the most extreme conditions and never beaten in practice. This has resulted in specifications by key clients such as the Ministry of Defence, BT and London Electricity. Architects and mechanical design consultants have also chosen DURASTEEL® for landmark projects such as Tower Place, the Jubilee Line Extension, The British Museum and various sites for logistics group Hayes.
DURASTEEL® is a composite sheet made with a core of fibre cement sandwiched between mechanically bonded galvanised steel facings. Its exceptional fire protection is combined with lightness and durability. It can withstand prolonged exposure to fire – up to six hours – and, while hot, will withstand spray from fire-fighters’ hoses or sprinkler action. DURASTEEL® is also renowned for its impact and blast resistance – particularly relevant in these troubled times.
Typical areas of use include distribution, storage and warehousing, military buildings, petro-chemical plants and offshore platforms, airports, underground train stations, road and rail tunnels, utilities’ installations and fire resistant ducting applications in major commercial and public assembly buildings.
DURASTEEL® has been tested to comply with all relevant parts of BS 476. DURASTEEL® barriers have been assessed for use up to 15m for fire while meeting design calculations for wind loads at this height.
DURASTEEL® doorsets are also available. These offer up to four hours fire protection and are available in a wide range of configurations, from single and twin to sliding, trap and oversized. They were used extensively on the Jubilee Line Extension and the recent refurbishment of Hatfield road tunnel.
Ductwork systems Duraduct LT and SMT-Fireblast also provide up to four hours protection. Virtually maintenance-free, these are ‘fit-and-forget’ solutions for internal and external applications. They meet the demands of BS 476: Part 24, and are often used in fire engineered applications to BS 7346 Part 2. Previous projects include HQ5 at Canary Wharf, Plantation Place in London and York’s Monk Cross office development.
Promat UK’s new specification guides for DURASTEEL® ensure designers and specifiers can find the most cost-effective solutions to meet the latest requirements for fire protection. Further details on
DURASTEEL®’s fit-and-forget systems, the new guides and technical assistance are available from: Promat UK Limited, The Stirling Centre, Eastern Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 2TD tel: 01344 381300 fax: 01344 381301.
Editors’ notes
Promat UK is the country’s only one-stop shop for passive fire protection. Alongside DURASTEEL®, its other leading brands include SUPALUX®, MASTERBOARD® and VERMICULUX® high-performance fire protection boards.
Promat is a subsidiary of Etex, the Belgian building materials group present in more than 30 countries mainly in Europe and Asia. Etex made profits of approximately £106 million in 2002 on sales of approximately £2.19 billion.
December 2003