Promat Fire Protection for old whiskey warehouse

Promat Supalux high performance fire protection board from Promat, has been used to provide fire protection for a former whiskey warehouse in Northern Ireland.

Cotton Court, located in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast, was recently restored and converted into workshops and offices for the local art and craft community.

The building's trustees wanted to maintain the rich character of the building, which included exposing the larger joists needed to support the whisky barrels.

However, the building required 60 minutes fire protection to each floor which would normally mean the joists would be covered with a fire rated ceiling.

To ensure the building maintained its original features but also met fire regulations architect Brian Payne contacted Promat for help in finding a solution.

Promat's technical services department worked with a structural engineer and calculated the char rate of the 75 x 225 mm joists.

From this they were able to identify the point at which the joists' ability to bear the load from above would become critical.

Promat Supalux 9mm thick was installed below this critical point ensuring the joist would maintain its load bearing ability for the required 60 minutes.

The Promat Supalux Mineral Wool system also ensured that the integrity of the 32mm tongue-and-groove floor above the joists would be maintained in the event of a fire.

The installation of Promat's products allows the occupants to escape from the building in the event of a fire, and for the fire service to get in and out safely as well as protecting the property itself.

Peter Keenan, Promat Ireland's Business Unit Manager commented: "It's important to maintain the historical value of buildings but also to ensure that people can escape safely in the event of a fire".

"Promat's technical expertise in fire protection allowed us to work with the architect to make this happen".

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