As part of a wider refurbishment project, Fire Officers required main gas risers feeding three blocks of 21 story flats to be separated from the main shaft in which they were located. Compartmentation of the gas mains with a gas-tight, enclosure providing 120 minutes of fire resistance was specified.
Promat devised the fire compartment system for the gas mains, creating a bespoke solution tailored to the individual needs of the project. The residents were to remain in their homes with a gas supply provided throughout the installation process. Promat devised a system that was easy to install in a phased process, with minimal disruption to the residents.
The need for proven fire protection for self-supporting mains gas risers which extended up through 21 storeys led to Promat’s PROMATECT®-L500 board being selected for a residential refurbishment project in Camden, London. Three multi-storey housing blocks on the Ampthill Estate have now been protected by the PROMATECT®-L500 fire protection board, which was used to create a bespoke solution tailored to the individual needs of this project.
The refurbishment had some fairly specific requirements to be met. The Fire Officers involved were insistent that the main gas riser feeding each block of flats was either moved to the exterior of the building, or was separated from the main shaft in which it was located. The latter option was taken, and it was decided to compartmentalise the gas mains with a gas-tight, enclosure that would provide 120 minutes of fire resistance.
Promat devised the fire compartment system for the gas mains, which was constructed from PROMATECT®-L500 boards provided by SIG Technical Insulation Beckton and installed by Fire Delay Contractors Ltd.
Craig Etherington, Sales Office Manager at SIG Technical Insulation Beckton spoke of the challenges in supplying materials for the project.
“We had to make sure that everything was in place ready to be delivered when Fire Delay Contractors Ltd requested the material. There were quite a few deliveries that were required next day when areas were made available on site. We had to make sure the stock was here at Beckton which meant I was liaising with Fire Delay on a weekly basis so we could keep up with their requirements and make sure everything was in place.
We had been working on the project with Fire Delay and Promat for a couple of months prior to the delivery to make sure we had everything in place for when it started.”
The PROMATECT®-L500 is a calcium silicate board designed specifically for this type of application. It is a non-combustible product which is resistant to the effects of moisture and will not deteriorate physically either through age, or when used in damp conditions. Its resistance to mould growth and attack by insect or vermin made it ideal for this project.
The system consisted of the use of 50 x 50 x 3mm steel frames fixed to the brickwork walls, clad with 50mm thick PROMATECT®-L500 board and coated with Decadex, a tough, elastomeric membrane. This ensured that the final compartmentation was gas-tight and protected the residents in the case of any leakage from the riser.
The residents were to remain in their homes with a gas supply provided throughout the installation process. This meant that the system Promat devised had to be easy to install in a phased process, but with as little disruption to them as possible. This was made easier by the fact that the board is easy to cut and work with conventional equipment. This also simplified the task of creating access panels in the compartmentalisation, which were then sealed with a demountable seal to ensure that gas tightness was not compromised.
