Product category:
Fire and Smoke Protection, Detection and Alarms
News Release from: Promat UK | Subject: Durasteel fire barriers
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 September 2006
Soaring demand for Promat Durasteel fire
barriers
More and more companies are choosing high-performance Promat Durasteel for their exceptional fire protection needs.
More and more companies are choosing high-performance Promat Durasteel for their exceptional fire protection needs The fit-and-forget fire barrier is a complete containment system - one tested under the most extreme conditions and never beaten
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 25 May 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Durasteel is backed by the technical expertise and support of its manufacturer Promat UK Limited, the market leader in passive fire protection.
And with a network of licensed installers, Durasteel is a one-stop solution that specifiers know they can rely on.
"Demand is simply soaring," says Stuart de Voil, marketing manager for Promat UK Limited.
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Increased Demand For Exceptional Fire Protection
Demand is soaring for exceptional fire protection, providing a boost for DURASTEEL, the market-leading fit-and-forget barrier made by Promat UK Limited.
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"Fire protection is high on the agenda, and Durasteel is showing itself to be an exceptional solution.
The list of clients speaks for itself: from the Ministry of Defence to Heathrow's Terminal 5, to developments such as White City.
Durasteel is also proving itself in the growing market for industrial warehousing.
Building owners just can't afford to gamble on fire protection.
For one thing, insurers are very much calling the shots, for example, in covering stock stored in massive distribution centres.
Equally tough are the Building Regulations.
And, from October 2006, there is new legislation - the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order - requiring employers to ensure fire safety in the workplace and, with their building's design, prevent the spread of fire and minimise business disruption.
The bottom line is that fire compartmentation using non-combustible barriers such as Promat Durasteel is now a vital component of building design.
Literally built into the fabric of a building, Promat Durasteel creates a physical barrier to contain heat and the spread of smoke and fire.
This containment helps control the course of a fire and the damage it can do, giving occupants time to get out and firefighters the chance to save the building.
Promat Durasteel is a composite sheet made with a core of fibre cement sandwiched between mechanically bonded galvanized steel facings.
It is easy to install and tough and durable enough to go in early, before the building envelope is watertight.
It can withstand prolonged exposure to fire - up to six hours - and, while hot, will withstand spray from fire-fighter hoses or sprinkler action.
Yet this exceptional fire protection is combined with lightness and durability, providing versatility across a range of functional and performance criteria.
Promat Durasteel is typically specified in distribution, storage and warehousing, military buildings, petro-chemical plants, airports, underground train stations, road and rail tunnels, utilities' installations and fire resistant ducting applications in major commercial and public assembly buildings.
It has been tested to comply with all relevant parts of BS 476.
It also complies with the growing number of tests demanded by big insurers, such as Lloyds of London.
Promat Durasteel proved the right solution, and most cost-effective, for Knights of Old, the Kettering-based logistics company.
The local authority and fire service were concerned about the amount of clothing and household goods to be stored within its 4000m2 warehouse.
They specified either a four-hour fire-resisting partition, or the installation of sprinklers.
Due to the expense of a sprinkler system, the architects sought a dependable passive solution.
Project architect Nick Durrant said: "The fire authorities insisted on having a dividing wall to act as a firefighting wall, giving safe access to half the building.
We naturally assessed the option of installing a sprinkler system but this would have been more than double the cost of the Durasteel barrier." Promat Durasteel barriers have been assessed for use up to 15m in height for fire and windloading.
Though it's 1000m2 in size, the barrier for Knights of Old is low weight, so it was built off the existing concrete slab without the need for strengthening or additional foundations.
It supports high bay racking to both sides and features integral roller shutters and personnel doors.
The Durasteel barrier was less than half the cost of the sprinkler alternative.
A four man team installed it in under a month.
The quality of the product and of Promat Durasteel's specialist installers was tested to the full at T5.
Promat supplied 80,000m2 of Durasteel to the £4.2 billion project, its largest specification to date.
The barriers were built from pre-cut kits, fabricated off-site by the Promat Durasteel licensed installer.
They were then delivered in labeled, pre-assembled form, and installed section by section - as easy as plasterboard.
All Promat Durasteel's licensed installers come with a long and proven track record, offering reliability and peace of mind.
Then there's exceptional back-up from Promat UK itself including design and technical support.
A new Promat Durasteel specific website is being launched www.promat-durasteel.co.uk which will provide an up-to-the-minute guide on Promat Durasteel's products.
Alongside this, the company's specification guide 'The Passive Fire Protection Handbook' ensures that specifiers and contractors can find the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions to meet the very latest requirements on all aspects of passive fire protection.
Promat UK Limited is the country's only 'one-stop shop' for passive fire protection.
As well as Durasteel, its other leading brands include Supalux, Masterboard and Vermiculux high-performance fire protection boards.
Promat UK Limited is owned by Etex, a European building materials group with centres in more than 30 countries, forming a global network of specific knowledge concerning fire protection and high temperature insulation.
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