FIREFLY® FB180 Batts & Titan help create new plant room above research laboratory
FIREFLY products, including our recently introduced 50mm Batt and Titan Horizontal, were used by one of Scotland’s leading fire protection specialists to create a one-hour barrier within an existing floor construction at the University of Strathclyde.
The work within the upper level to the 20-year-old Robertson Building was carried out for the university’s Estates and Buildings department by Glasgow based Adaptive Fire Protection under the direction of BMJ Architects, a highly respected practice with wide experience of the education and other sectors. The Technical Sales Manager for FIREFLY® in Scotland and Ireland, Daniel Gordon, was involved from an early stage in providing project specific guidance on the use of the new floor system, in combination with the manufacturer’s Titan Horizontal barrier system offering 90:60 minutes of integrity and insulation. Commenting on the circumstances which led to the use of the new FIREFLY®system, the Project Architect for BMJ, Sonia Scott, said: “As part of our involvement on the Robertson Building, we were asked to create a new plant room up at roof level, but needed to make it internal so that maintenance work on the air handling units could be carried out without exposure to the weather. The Fire Engineering Consultant Jensen Hughes – therefore insisted that the floor zone between the usable occupied space below and the new plant facility should offer a one-hour fire resistance.
“Although I have used Firefly barriers on other buildings in the past, this is the first time we have specified the new Floor Batts: they were identified as being ideal due to the slenderness of the build-up and the fact that the work had to be carried out from above as there was no possibility of getting access to the science laboratory below. The specification duly offered the required protection to the roof above with its Sarnafil covering.” Underlining the versatility of its recently launched ablative batt, FIREFLY® has added a new Floor System to its range with the potential to be installed between existing joists without disturbing the ceiling below, while also suiting a few other compartmentation applications and even offering sound reduction benefits.
The FIREFLY® FB180 Ablative Batt 60mm Floor System has been developed for friction fitting between adjacent timber joists but has also been fully tested when laid horizontally across a larger area where a protected zone is required. This being one of the situations where the product can be used in conjunction with the Apollo Lite flexible fire barrier and the manufacturer’s ancillary products such as its Acrylic Sealant and FIREFLY® Fixings or Penowrap to create an integrated system. Furthermore, like many of Firefly’s other barrier systems, the new fireproof floor insulation’s integrity can extend to protecting service penetrations, such as soil pipes, when fitted in compliance with the manufacturer’s directions.
Produced from mineral wool with an ablative coating on both sides to offer 90 minutes integrity as well as a full one hour’s insulation, the FB180 Ablative Batt has been tested in accordance with BS EN 1363-1 2022 and BS EN 1364-2: the latter confirming its ability to upgrade the compartmentation of floor constructions without affecting loadbearing capacity. Impressively, the 60mm thick Ablative Batt will also provide 27 dB sound reduction and is straightforward to install, either in isolation or combined with other FIREFLY® barriers. As well as detailed drawings and installation guidance, FIREFLY’s technical advisory service can supply project specific details and other advice as necessary.
Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke, as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY®ancillary products in order to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.