Making the old new again: Achieving fire performance in heritage projects

Across Australia, trends suggest a growing number of older structures are being classed as ‘heritage items’ and redevelopment and restoration projects are on the rise.

The preservation requirements of heritage buildings pose a challenge for design and construction professionals.

Given today’s compliance-oriented industry, practitioners must ensure that heritage-listed buildings comply with the relevant performance standards under the National Construction Code (NCC) without compromising their heritage value. Fire protection and structural performance are especially critical.

The Importance of Fire Protection

The Grenfell and Lacrosse tower fires highlighted the risks posed by inadequate fire protection, specifically the potential for loss of life, property damage and significant economic harm.

Many historically-significant buildings cannot be brought into full compliance with the current Australian fire safety requirements without damaging significant building elements. The main problems associated with meeting fire safety requirements in historic buildings include:

• meeting dimensional requirements;

• space constraints;

• aesthetic intrusions; and

• the materials used.

Older buildings may also require relatively rare types of materials and labour, which can be more costly. Buildings with structural steel systems will also require additional fire protection.

Understanding the Requirements

The National Construction Code

Australian heritage buildings must comply with the fire protection requirements set out in the NCC. Section C – Fire Resistance of the NCC requires that all loadbearing building elements, including structural steel members, have adequate fire protection.

In relation to complying with NCC Performance Requirements, the unique historical elements in heritage buildings make it difficult to follow the Deemed-tosatisfy (DTS) Provisions so individualised Performance Solutions are typically required. Australian Standards

The relevant Australian Standards that apply to fire protection systems in heritage buildings include:

• AS 1530.4-2005 – Methods for fire tests on building materials, components and structures – Fire-resistance test of elements of construction, which sets out the general fire performance requirements of major building elements and the full-scale fire test conditions required to ascertain fire performance; and • Section 12 of AS 4100-1998 Steel

Structures, which sets out the general design requirements pertaining to fire protection for steel structures.

Intumescent Fire Protection Systems: A High Performance Solution

Fire events fall into one of two categories: cellulosic fire or hydrocarbon fire. Cellulosic fires are fuelled by cellulose materials such as timber, fabrics or paper, which are commonly found in commercial and residential buildings. These fires spread gradually, reaching approximately 500ºc within five minutes with a peak temperature of 1100ºc. Fueled by combustible liquids, hydrocarbon fires burn more rapidly and at higher temperatures than cellulosic fires.

Intumescent fire protection systems and coatings are passive protection methods which protect against cellulosic fires. These coatings are applied to structural members and, when exposed to high temperatures, form a protective ‘char’ that thermally insulates and protects the substrate from flames. Structural steel systems require intumescent fire protection to preserve the stability of a building in the event of a fire.

Intumescent fire protection systems are ideal for heritage projects for the following reasons:

• its thin coating will not damage substrate or add additional bulk; • easy application results in reduced time and labor costs; and • the wide variety of architectural finishes.

Permax

Permax has led the Australian market in high performance and compliant fire protection systems. Favoured by builders, engineers and architects alike, this Australian company offers a carefully curated range of fire protection solutions. This includes Nullifire, an internationallyrecognised passive fire protection solution that is synonymous with the best structural steel fire protection coatings technologies available today.

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