"cavity closers"

RC was approached by Dorsey Construction Materials to supply our award-winning cavity fire barriers and cavity closers for a high-rise housing development in Dagenham.

Dacatie's TFR Fire Rated Cavity Closers were used in this residential project by Willmott Dixon. The 133 homes come in a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses, and 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. It is part of the Bristol Mayor’s commitment to build 2,000 new homes, including 800 affordable, in the city.

Roofspace Solutions originally specified firestopping materials from various manufacturers for its unique i-Roof system. However, when browsing the market for a supplier that could provide a complete firestopping solution, Roofspace opted for ARC Building Solutions array of products for its quality, certification and reputation within the housebuilding industry.

Dacatie's Frame Formers were used in the development of 3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes in Hazelmere, located on the edge of the historic Cheshire village of Haslington.This family development is only a few miles from the busy town of Crewe.

Dacatie's Frame Formers were used in the development of 2, 3 & 4 bedroom homes in the attractive market town of Hinckley.Including a New Primary School, an Amphitheatre, Children’s Play Area, New District Centre, Playing Fields alongside additional landscaped open spaces.

Dacatie's TF Multicloser and SF Multicloser profiles were used in the Phoenix Wharf development of 4 bedroom homes.Phoenix Wharf is located within the Sandwell and Swan Village area of West Bromwich, less than six miles northwest of Birmingham.

Working with Miers alongside Mulalley and Woodhurst Brickwork Contractors on 132 new build properties in Barnet, Metz Non Combustible Cavity tray has been chosen Metz Non combustible cavity tray's flexibility onsite is a key component in the installation and speed of work.Another great project Metz is proud to be involved with.

The world is focused on social distancing, safety and health; this latest project brings nature a little closer to help improve on all counts with socially distanced greenery. Leicester City Council’s urban environmental goals called upon the flexibility and experience of a rapid taskforce of installers from Hedera Screens to bring green elements across the City during lockdown and beyond.

A systematic approach of arresting and reducing the flow of water within a cavity wall prior to any change in status of that wall helps balance demands on damp protection measures. In the case of a circular window passing through a curved cavity wall, protecting against damp ingress is easily achieved using a preformed Type K cavitray. The preformed Cavitray is curved to match the wall. Conventional flat material or roll material cannot uniformly match the radius of a wall.

Since the Grenfell tragedy in 2016, there has been an increased focus on fire-safety compliance in all communal buildings. This focus sharpened even more when, early in 2018, the media unearthed evidence of some non-compliant products having been installed there, including internal fire doors that had been fitted without smoke seals. As a result, there has been heightened attention on every aspect of safety, not least on fire doors. Fire officers and building management personnel understandably want to ensure they have covered every possible safety angle.To this end, they are now often insisting on going beyond the specifications required by regulations.However, in trying to ensure doors provide the maximum protection against fire and smoke, another potential problem can arise that, if not addressed, can undermine those good intentions.The problem:One of our customers, a door manufacturer and installer, had recently supplied doors but then been informed by their customer that they were not successfully self-closing as they were meant to. The assumption was that the door closer was not performing correctly, so the ‘fault’ was relayed to Rutland with a request for a resolution. We agreed to visit the site swiftly to assess the situation. Our inspection found that the door closer was correctly specified for the width and weight of the door, but that the smallest possible door gaps had been specified. These, coupled with substantial smoke seals around the doors, were causing significant resistance to the doors closing. Although the resistance was due in part to the physical aspects of the small gaps and the seals, the main problem was actually the build-up of differential air pressures on either side of the doors.Given the increased focus on maximum fire defence at doorways on all new-builds and building refurbishments, this problem is arising ever more frequently. Tighter door seals have the effect of creating separate, near air-tight pockets within a building, each holding air at slightly different pressures. The bigger the building, the more such pockets and the greater the pressure differentials that can potentially build up.These pressure differentials can have a significant additional effect on the amount of force needed to close each door and must be taken into account when choosing and setting closers.The Rutland response:Rutland’s technical team attended the site as required to support the customer in achieving a solution, first to identify the issues with air pressures and then recommend and implement a solution to the problem.Initially, we made hinge and latch adjustments to the door sets to overcome some of the resistance. This proved to be insufficient to ensure all the doors correctly closed first time, so we advised upgrading to stronger door closers. This recommendation was supported by supplying the door manufacturer with relevant data from previous tests on an equivalent door set to verify the product’s suitability.The new closers were delivered to the site and our technical team remained on hand to provide extensive assistance with the installation. Rutland created a bespoke jig to aid the door manufacturer’s installers in fitting the replacement door closers, significantly cutting down the time it took to rectify the problem.Outcome and key learning points:The project was successfully brought back on track, to the full satisfaction of the property owner and the door set manufacturer. All doors now function as they should and are delivering the intended fire safety for all building occupants.This case highlights that, due to heightened protective sealing around doors, there is an increasing likelihood of air locks forming in buildings, which means that specifying of door closers cannot be based simply on weight and width of doors, as has traditionally been the case. The pressure differentials that result vary building by building, based on each one’s layout, so it necessitates careful assessment to ensure that appropriate closers are specified.

A wonderful new 10 year development utilising Metz non combustible cavity trays through out this prestigious project, on behalf of Berkley Homes.

Use of NyRock Cavity Slab 032 wall insulation in a full fill application.

NyRock Cavity Slab 032 insulation was specified to meet the specific energy targets.Hallwell by Hugh McGreevy & Sons Ltd is a development of 100 new homes being constructed as part of a larger residential area in Adamstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland.NyRock Cavity Slab 032 - the most thermally efficient stone wool cavity insulation currently available in the UK and Ireland.

The scope of the ASSA ABLOY door closer range gives suppliers and building managers total flexibility.“ASSA ABLOY makes sure we always find the right product for every application, whatever the door. Every application has different requirements and ASSA ABLOY understands how to meet them all.” Chris Visser.Click the link to read more.

The forming of a level threshold would be easy if the designer did not have to consider the prevention of damp ingress. The problem is a number of elements converge at a threshold, and when the threshold is required to be practically level, it can be difficult to bring together protective measures in a manner that promote integrated functionality and structural convenience. A different approach to forming level thresholds is offered by Cavity Trays Ltd. It literally and physically covers the problem. The Type LTT Level Threshold Tray is a three-dimensional preformed DPC that envelops opening masonry skins.

The proposed developments followed traditional timber kit design, consisting of an outer brick skin 50mm cavity, with an internal 140mm stud frame, and using mineral wool insulation minimum 20mm service void, finished with a plasterboard lining. The brief was to achieve air permeability less than 6m3/h/m².

Damage from the build up of moisture results in mould, mildew and condensation on windows and in the loft space. Additionally, where there is a moisture problem in the wall cavity, damage readily occurs to the insulation and wall ties, affecting wall plates, the timber frame itself and installed joinery. Preventing this from occuring is obviously a priority in the minds of all designers and builders interested in quality construction. SureCav Provides the Solution. By building with the SureCav panels instead of a using a block leaf you are providing a barrier to protect from wind driven rain.

Prefabricated Metz Non Combustible external corner unit from clients dims

Delta Registered Installers, Bensleys provided a waterproofing solution on an iconic Brighton structure.Steeped in history and thought to be built on the original Brill Baths site, sits Clarendon Mansions. This large, detached structure is thought to have been built in 1870 by Charles Brill during the Brighton boom.The four-storey building facing Brighton’s famous sea front, was originally constructed as a hotel.Numerous refurbishments over subsequent periods of time, saw the structure move from a hotel to a public house, with the basement area being unoccupied for nearly a decade.The basement area boasts large, vaulted areas to the south and west elevation, with the south-side possibly being part of the original Bath structure.Bensleys were instructed by the main contractor, Pilbeam Construction on behalf of Evolution Architects, to help design, specify and install the waterproofing system.There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to waterproofing design. With the basement suffering from water penetration, Bensleys worked with the design team at an early stage of the project to ensure the right approach be taken, which included multiple factors such as: customer requirements, standards, robustness, cost, resources, time, skill required, safety and expectations of ground water which all translated into a design solution.

For nearly 90 years, Santens has helped building contractors buy the right hardware and tools for the job. Their success is built on supplying comprehensive solutions to the building and joinery sector across Belgium. As well as store-based operations, Santens supports loyal customers with sales representatives; offers a project management service; and runs a web shop. Click the link to read more.

Quiet doors aid concentration, privacy and patient comfort.Ulm Day Clinic is part of the Söflingen Day Clinic Group, where an entire spectrum of anesthesia and operations has been carried out since 1998: Approximately 8,000 operations are performed by more than 30 inpatient physicians from 13 specialisms. A qualified and competent team of specialists are available for all treatments.Close to the operating theatre, a door used to slam very loudly when closing. This led to problems at reception and during procedures. The medical team felt the vibrations, especially during very sensitive eye surgeries.Click the link to read more.

The new FB180 Batt Floor System has been designed to friction fit into the joists above a ceiling, creating a 60 minute insulation solution without disturbing the ceiling, but this product is also tested in a horizontal application as a simple way to create a protected zone where required, as shown in the images below, where it is also works alongside our Apollo Lite Barrier, at a recent installation by Krasi Fire Protection Limited

A programme of works carried out at a Nottinghamshire hospital has seen a number of products from the FIREFLY range employed to upgrade the passive fire protection throughout the roof spaces, with the manufacturer providing site specific design details to assist the highly experienced contractor complete the project on time. DC Fire Protection Ltd., based at Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, works right across the country covering multiple sectors of the construction industry, installing active as well as passive fire protection systems.  For its 10 week contract at the Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre at Kirby in Ashfield, the specialist installed dozens of rolls of the Titan Lite™ fire barrier as well as the Apollo Horizontal barrier, Collaroll and two of the 1200 x 600mm FR120 Access Panels to link some of the safety zones being created. Built in 2007, Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre is conjoined to the existing Ashfield Community Hospital and offers extended health services to the local community, supplementing the current services by providing purpose-built rehabilitation facilities, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other community health services.  It also offers consulting rooms, treatment rooms and an activities of daily living suite, rehabilitation and gym areas.A Director of DC Fire Protection, Daniel Mabbott, commented: “We have been dealing with FIREFLY for a number of years, including buying large quantities of the Titan Lite™ and Apollo Lite , which we use for commercial contracts as well as other work.  We often propose the use of FIREFLY systems to clients and in this instance, where we were simply given the performance standard the client required, we proposed the use of Titan Lite plus Apollo Horizontal to upgrade the exiting fire walls which no longer comply with current requirements.” “There were a number of plastic PVC-U soil stacks rising through the roof in what was specified as a Controlled Zone, for which FIREFLY provided us with a bespoke detail to protect them where they passed through the barriers, while we installed a couple of their FR120 Access Panels in addition to the fire doors which we fitted in a number of locations throughout the roof.  The project was completed on time and we have now moved onto another contract where we are again using a number of FIREFLY products.”Third party approved, FIREFY Apollo Horizontal 30:30 provides 30 minutes integrity and insulation to exceed the minimum requirements within the Building Regulations relating to fire barriers.  In common with other FIREFY products, Apollo Horizontal is manufactured using specially treated woven glass fibre fabric, being flexible and lightweight making it easy to install. Specifiers and specialist fire contractors wishing to find more information about the full range of products available from FIREFLY can visit www.tbafirefly.comImages shown are taken during installation and some sections of the installation might be incomplete.

With 50 years’ experience in the modular build industry, the challenge for Tingdene Homes was to deliver a cutting edge solution for a new two-storey holiday home construction which was to be built entirely offsite in a controlled factory environment, with the objective of delivering speedier construction, factory engineered quality and cost-effective design.

TBA FIREFLY™ System Sub-Divides Supermarket RoofspaceDuring the recent pandemic supermarket chains have had to continue with property maintenance and improvement programmes to ensure the safety of their premises, including a store in Staffordshire where the APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 barrier, manufactured by TBA FIREFLY™, was installed within the roof-space as part of a major refurbishment project.The work at the store was carried out by sector specialist, The B Team. All of the APOLLO Lite™ 30:30, together with the heavy duty stainless steel staples and other ancillary Firefly products, have been supplied by distributor, CCF.Commenting on the success of the work, The B Team Site Manager Adi, said ”as the architects specified vertical fire barriers in the strategy according to the Approved Document B from the Building regulations, we decided to use APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 from TBA, as we have used it and other FIREFLY™ products on other project in the past: in supermarkets and other types of building. It is easy to cut and install, fixing it vertically to the metal profiles with stainless steel screws to create 20 metre by 20 metre compartments and we used the stainless steel staples to secure the joins in the material, all in line with the manufacturer’s installations manuals.”All of The B Team’s work had to be carried out while minimising any disruption to the store’s long hours of business, with the new APOLLO Lite™ fire barriers being concealed above the building’s reinstated suspended ceilings.The APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 has been developed for use in vertical separation or compartmentation situations, offering 30 minutes integrity and insulation thereby exceeding the minimum requirements of the Building Regulations.It is widely specified to form fire barriers within roof voids and floor voids in many different property types, including tower blocks and other HMOs.The flexible woven and non woven glass fibre material is easy to cut and fix and is treated with a proprietary coating to improve its fire performance properties and therefore prevent temperatures rising in adjoining areas. The system has been fully tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22 and is third party certified by IFCC. The six metre long rolls of APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 have a minimum thickness of 6mm and are installed using specialist staples as well as heat resistant adhesive.

Located in the East of Kent, Thanet Earth is the UK’s leading producer of salad vegetables, where an estimated 400 million tomatoes and 30 million cucumbers are grown every year: with the initial processing and packaging being carried out in a facility where 900m2of the roof structure has had its fire protection upgraded using products from the range of FIREFLY®.The specialist contractor involved, Kent based C A Fire Protection, is a regular user of FIREFLY® and called in the manufacturer’s local Technical Sales Manager for advice when it was invited to tender for the challenging retrofit project.  Following a detailed site inspection and discussions with the client’s FM team, FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal and FIREFLY® Titan Lite was specified in combination with FIREFLY® Collaroll and FIREFLY® Penowrap to offer continuous 60 minute and 90 minute protection across the soffit, which features numerous down-stands and building services installations. With the ceiling structure to the packaging plant unable to support heavy equipment, C A Fire Protection was forced to repeatedly erect and take down alloy access towers, as their team worked around the cable trays and other obstructions, necessitating a 13-week programme.  In general, the installation method for the FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal and FIREFLY® Titan Lite saw the experienced operatives assembling frames of the 50 x 50mm metal angle, beneath which the flexible fire barrier was fixed using a 80 x 1mm flat strap, along with FIREFLY‘s High Temperature Adhesive and Stainless Steel Staples.  The FIREFLY® Penowrap and FIREFLY® Collaroll were employed to ensure continuity around roof beams as well as the hangers for the cable trays and other services. The Contracts Manager for C A Fire Protection, Steven Halkett, commented: “We undertake work right across the country, though a lot of it is concentrated in London and Kent where we have offices.  The sectors we cover include commercial, residential, airports, schools, hospitals and other public buildings.”“Our use of FIREFLY® systems has increased a lot over the past couple of years and we sought the company’s advice when we were assessing the work to be done at Thanet Earth, where a lack of insulation in the roof had led to condensation problems and deterioration of the original fire barriers.  We subsequently won the contract to remove all of the old, brittle material and to install the FIREFLY® Zeus Horizontal and other materials.  We were grateful for the  help that we received from FIREFLY’s technical personnel, including the provision of specific details and inspections as the work progressed. Subsequently, the job was completed according to schedule.”     The lightweight and flexible FIREFLY® Penowrap has been developed to compliment other FIREFLY® fire barrier systems and can be used to fully protect structural members as much as 300mm below the main barrier, offering additional protection.  It provides 60 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation when used to wrap around exposed sections of timber or steel during the construction or upgrade of a building.Tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22, FIREFLY® Penowrap is manufactured utilising a layer of non-woven silica with aluminium foil on the outward facing surface.  The product, which is non-toxic as well as easy to cut and shape, has additionally received a Pass for Parts 6 & 7 (propagation and surface spread of flame).  The 300mm wide fire wrap is supplied in 10 linear metre long rolls, and is just 12mm thick.  Furthermore, it only weighs 2.02kg/m2 so it is light to handle on site.  FIREFLY® Penowrap is installed using standard fixings and is fully compatible with the angles and high temperature adhesives to be found within the approved FIREFLY® range.

FIREFLY™ APOLLO Lite Specified for Royal Stoke RefurbishmentA leading passive fire protection contractor has been involved in the installation of fully compatible products from the range of TBA FIREFLY™ for the creation of half hour fire barriers within ceiling voids to a major general hospital undergoing extensive refurbishment work in the north of England.Birmingham based Cubic FM is the specialist sub-contractor carrying out all of the passive fire protection work at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in the city’s Newcastle Road. The work is making use of FIREFLY’s well proven APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 barrier system in combination with the equally widely specified Collaroll across areas featuring cable trays, water pipes and other building services. All of the barrier and ancillary products are being supplied by the Birmingham branch of Encon, one of FIREFLY’s main distributors.The Senior Contract Manager for Cubic, Brett Kelly, commented: “This is a family run firm where passive fire protection forms one of our key divisions, serving both private and public sector clients: working in schools, prisons, police stations and MOD properties as well as hospitals. The contract here in Stoke has been particularly challenging because the ceiling void of the Lower Trent Ward contains a variety of services - including gas and water - which could not be isolated due to having to keep adjoining areas of the hospital supplied. Also the presence of steel beams meant the new drywall partitions could not be taken right up to the underside of the slab.”“We were first introduced to the FIREFLY's range some three years ago when it was specified by a client, but we now prefer the systems to the rock mineral wool we used previously. The FIREFLY™ barriers are quicker and easier to install, do not create dust or skin irritation and the company is always ready to provide design guidance or on–site assistance. We currently have half a dozen operatives trained up by FIREFLY™ and another group due to attend the company’s training school soon.FIREFLY™ worked with the architect here after they specified the APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 and have been helping us with installation details, where we are using the special staples and adhesives to secure the barriers, as well as around all the service penetrations – working off scaffolding. Overall the installation is progressing very well.”APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 has been developed for use in vertical separation or compartmentation situations, offering 30 minutes integrity and insulation and is able to be sealed around penetrations. It is widely specified to form fire barriers within roof voids and floor voids in many different property types, including tower blocks and other HMOs.The flexible woven material is easy to cut and fix and is treated with a proprietary coating to improve its cooling properties and therefore prevent temperatures rising in adjoining areas. The system has been fully tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22 and is third party certified by IFC. The six metre long rolls of APOLLO Lite™ 30:30 have a minimum thickness of 6mm and are installed using stainless steel staples as well as high temperature adhesive.Employed as part of the FIREFLY™ System and also to wrap the services which penetrate barriers such as PHOENIX, ZEUS Lite™ 90:30 and TITAN Lite™ 120:60, Collaroll comes in a roll 10m long x 300mm wide with a sewn-in concertinaed skirt. The skirt can be moulded to shape to seal it neatly to the upright barrier, which is usually at 90 degrees to the Collaroll and fixed into place using the high temperature adhesive. The R31 Staple Gun and Staples are used to staple the Collaroll to itself tightly around the penetration.

A significant redevelopment project at a specialist mental health hospital in Nottinghamshire is nearing a successful completion, with two of FIREFLY’s versatile and fully certified systems being employed by one of the manufacturer’s approved contractors installing the lightweight, but high performing fire barriers, to protect the ceiling spaces. The work at the Millbrook Mental Health Unit in the Sutton area of Mansfield is being carried out by Tilbury Douglas on behalf of the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and includes the construction of a new dementia ward as well as the refurbishment of two existing wards.  The new facility will create a low-stimulus environment containing 18 single bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms, while the refurbished building is being upgraded to meet current NHS guidelines, as well as to achieve compliance with the latest requirements of Approved Document B and the Building Safety Act.   Coventry based KRASI Fire Protection Limited – a specialist sub-contractor well experienced in hospital upgrades, including other projects across the East Midlands – was awarded its package under competitive tender and had up to 10 of its highly trained operatives on site during the four-month contract.  The company’s Contract Manager, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “When we were approached to install all of the fire barriers within the building at the Millbrook Hospital, we put forward the APOLLO LiteTM 30:30 and TITAN Lite™120:60 as being appropriate to the periods of protection being sought by the project team, including Tilbury Douglas’s fire consultant.  They were really the only products which would have worked in this situation. We have come to rely on FIREFLY® systems in recent years since we moved away from mineral wool solutions.  They ensure high performance with good technical back-up when required and, crucially, they carry the best testing.”  “In this instance, FIREFLY’s regional manager, Dave Allen attended the site to advise on some special details – provided as sketches backed up by email confirmation with photographs.  The TITAN Lite™120:60 provides 120 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation, while the APOLLO LiteTM 30:30 offers 30 minutes in each respect.  There were no horizontal barriers required on this job.” While Krasi carries out its own IFC certification work, FIREFLY’s technical consultants continued to visit the project at intervals to confirm that all of the work was being carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions: with the special staples and fire rated adhesive being used to attach the barrier materials to sub-frames of steel angles reaching down on top of the individual partition walls creating compliant compartmentation.  Krasi’s completed contract saw a total of 700 square metres of Titan Lite and Apollo Lite barriers installed throughout the refurbished ward building. 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 to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.The lightweight and flexible FIREFLY® Penowrap has been developed to compliment other FIREFLY® fire barrier systems and can be used to fully protect structural members as much as 300mm below the main barrier, offering additional protection.  It provides 60 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation when used to wrap around exposed sections of timber or steel during the construction or upgrade of a building.Tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22, FIREFLY® Penowrap is manufactured utilising a layer of non-woven silica with aluminium foil on the outward facing surface.  The product, which is non-toxic as well as easy to cut and shape, has additionally received a Pass for Parts 6 & 7 (propagation and surface spread of flame).  The 300mm wide fire wrap is supplied in 10 linear metre long rolls, and is just 12mm thick.  Furthermore, it only weighs 2.02kg/m2 so it is light to handle on site.  FIREFLY® Penowrap is installed using standard fixings and is fully compatible with the angles and high temperature adhesives to be found within the approved FIREFLY® range.  

While concrete walls and Armco barriers are conventionally used to help protect drivers and spectators at motor racing circuits around the world, products from the range of FIREFLY have been specified to provide the necessary fire protection periods within an East Midlands venue which has become a focus for E-sports enthusiasts in the UK.The work at The Metronome in Nottingham is being carried out by one of FIREFLY’s approved installers on behalf of the venue’s operator, Confetti Media and is making extensive use of the manufacturer’s FIREFLY Zeus Lite 90:30 barrier, along with the Collaroll product to create compartmentation throughout a basement area, and as parts of The Metronome are also used by Nottingham Trent University and its students as a recording and production studio, Krasi Fire Protection Ltd.’s contract is in fact being phased – with work due to complete to work around the academic year. The Contract Manager for Krasi Fire Protection Limited, Daniel Oldacre, commented: “We began using the FIREFLY barriers a couple of years ago instead of mineral wool based systems and have been getting very good training, specification and on-site support from the company. In the case of the contact here for the company which operates The Metronome, we put forward the FIREFLY Zeus Lite 90:30 as the best product to create the necessary fire barriers as part of a major refurbishment and FIREFLY’s Technical Manager, Dave Allen, assisted in supplying the necessary compliant details.  He is also attending site regularly to carry out the required inspections. It is quite a large and complex contract during which we will be installing barrier across the soffits and walls as well as protecting services such as ductwork.  While some of the spaces are confined, FIREFLY is easy to cut and fix in place and saves us a lot of time compared to conventional systems and although we are not installing horizontally here, we did have all 10 of our operatives trained up on FIREFLY’s Horizontal systems as part of the annual update on installation of the systems.”  FIREFLY Zeus Lite is ideally suited to this type of application, comprising a flexible woven fabric fire barrier that has been specifically developed for the vertical separation and compartmentation  of extensive concealed spaces within buildings.By offering 90 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation, FIREFLY Zeus Lite 90:30 exceeds the minimum requirements regarding fire barriers under the Building Regulations’ Approved Document B (Fire Safety).  The specially treated glass fibre fabric is strong and resilient as well as flexible while, crucially, the system’s certification covers the inclusion of service penetrations which some products do not. 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 to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.Images shown are taken during installation and some sections of the installation might be incomplete.

A programme of works carried out at a Nottinghamshire hospital has seen a number of products from the FIREFLY® range employed to upgrade the passive fire protection throughout the roof spaces, with the manufacturer providing site specific design details to assist the highly experienced contractor complete the project on time. DC Fire Protection Ltd., based at Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, works right across the country covering multiple sectors of the construction industry, installing active as well as passive fire protection systems.  For its 10 week contract at the Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre at Kirby in Ashfield, the specialist installed dozens of rolls of the Titan Lite™ fire barrier as well as the Apollo Horizontal barrier, Collaroll and two of the 1200 x 600mm FR120 Access Panels to link some of the safety zones being created. Built in 2007, Ashfield Health and Wellbeing Centre is conjoined to the existing Ashfield Community Hospital and offers extended health services to the local community, supplementing the current services by providing purpose-built rehabilitation facilities, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other community health services.  It also offers consulting rooms, treatment rooms and an activities of daily living suite, rehabilitation and gym areas.A Director of DC Fire Protection, Daniel Mabbott, commented: “We have been dealing with FIREFLY® for a number of years, including buying large quantities of the Titan Lite™ and Apollo LiteTM , which we use for commercial contracts as well as other work.  We often propose the use of FIREFLY® systems to clients and in this instance, where we were simply given the performance standard the client required, we proposed the use of Titan Lite™ plus Apollo Horizontal to upgrade the exiting fire walls which no longer comply with current requirements.” “There were a number of plastic PVC-U soil stacks rising through the roof in what was specified as a Controlled Zone, for which FIREFLY® provided us with a bespoke detail to protect them where they passed through the barriers, while we installed a couple of their FR120 Access Panels in addition to the fire doors which we fitted in a number of locations throughout the roof.  The project was completed on time and we have now moved onto another contract where we are again using a number of FIREFLY® products.”Third party approved, FIREFY® Apollo Horizontal 30:30 provides 30 minutes integrity and insulation to exceed the minimum requirements within the Building Regulations relating to fire barriers.  In common with other FIREFY® products, Apollo Horizontal is manufactured using specially treated woven glass fibre fabric, being flexible and lightweight making it easy to install. Specifiers and specialist fire contractors wishing to find more information about the full range of products available from FIREFLY® can visit www.tbafirefly.com

Project DetailProject: Westfield Stratford City Shopping CentreLocation: London, UKProduct: TS.9205 High usage architectural door closer with automatic swing door operatorProject DescriptionWestfield Stratford City is the largest shopping centre in Europe. It required high quality door closers that could cope with an immense amount of traffic in a short space of time. The closers needed to be automatic and available in large quantities – 500 closers and 84 automatic swing door operators. TS.9205 closers were ideal because they:Are extremely durable, offering optimum performance with high usageAre single action automatic openers/closers that can be programmed to suit many different situations, including secure doorwaysComplement the hydraulic closers used on staff doors as well as the main shopper thoroughfare‘Westfield was the gateway to the 2012 Olympic Games and thus was tested to extreme. It still stands looking good as new.’ – Colin Philips, Senior Manager

Project DetailProject: Buckingham PalaceLocation: London, UKProduct: TS.11204 Surface slide arm closer and TS.9205 High usage architectural door closerProject DescriptionBuckingham Palace, the Queen’s 775-room official London residence, required heavy duty closers with a long guarantee. The Palace has very high quality standards, which the closer needed to adhere to. Buckingham Palace chose the TS.11204 and TS.9205 because they:Have a proven track record for quality and durabilityAre highly efficientCome with a 35-year guarantee to meet requirements‘When it comes to the door closers, no news is good news!’ – Neil Francis, Architectural Ironmonger

The design of the house specified an airtight and thermal efficient solution to meet Building Regulations. The brief for DGTS was to provide a highly insulated (U-Values for walls/0.11 and floors/0.13) envelope to the main steel frame structure and concrete beam and block floors to both ground and first floor level. The dwelling floor area was approx 700m² broken up into twelve rooms including a wet room, gym, media room and library.

This historic property is being converted into luxury apartments and in the grounds of the palace some twenty six new houses are being constructed to be architecturally in keeping with the historic main building. Taking cues from the complex roof layout of the original palace, the new houses have numerous hips, valleys, box gutters, monoridges and even turrets. The increased levels of thermal insulation required within the roof space meant that the risk of condensation occurring out of sight in the loft voids increased dramatically.

DG Timber Solutions, specialist designers and manufacturers of timber frame construction were awarded the contract to build the structure’s wall panels in the factory and install on-site, with the objective of achieving an overall wall U-value of 0.20W/m²K.

One of FIREFLY’s regular customers is currently making use of Titan Lite™ 120:60 fire barriers to create compartmentations to protect multiple zones within a huge new Amazon Data Centre at Hemel Hempstead, where the possible degree of structural movement predicted for the building prevented the manufacturer’s competitors from offering a viable solution. Amersham based GSI Contract Services Ltd. is approximately halfway through a year-long specialist sub-contract for TSL, installing the high-performance Titan Lite™ 120:60 along all of the floor and roof junctions to the internal partitions, providing both integrity and insulation while accommodating relative movement of +/- 200mm.  FIREFLY’s area Technical Sales Manager, Andy Greenwood, was closely involved in offering advice on the specification and supplying project specific installation details.  Site training of GSI’s operatives has also been delivered. The Site Manager for GSI Contract Services, Stan Tsenkov, commented: “We carry out specialist fire protection work in healthcare, commercial, schools, residential and other premises – including airports – from the South-east as far up country as Birmingham and have been making use of FIREFLY’s Titan Lite™ product on multiple projects over the past two years – particularly protecting roof spaces in blocks of flats for Kier.” “For this project, our FIREFLY® consultant was involved in pre-contract meetings before recommending the Titan Lite™ as being ideal to offer the periods of integrity and insulation required, as well as being able to cope with the unusually high levels of movement which could occur, when other suppliers in the country said they could not help.  We have already had up to 15 operatives on site for eight months and are due to complete this summer.  One team of eight, who have all received training from FIREFLY®, are using flat metal straps to fit the Titan Lite™ material along the sides of junctions, while we have also purchased a dozen of the heavy duty B16 staple guns via the company.  Over all the work has gone very well.”Commenting on the degree of movement accommodated at the data centre, FIREFLY’s Andy Greenwood commented: “This is a very high specification building and the +/- 200mm movement included in the design of the Titan Lite™ fire barrier would accommodate earth tremors as well as any thermal movement in the structure and if any significant movement does occur, the material will simply concertina back down again.” FIREFLY® Titan Lite™ 120:60 has been developed as a flexible fire barrier to provide compartmentation of larger concealed spaces within different types of buildings including factories, warehouses, healthcare facilities and even railway stations. By offering 120 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation, Titan Lite™ 120:60 exceeds the minimum requirements relating to Fire Barriers as detailed in the UK Building Regulations: Approved Document B (Fire Safety). FIREFLY ‘s barrier products are manufactured using specially treated woven glass fibre fabrics. Specifiers and specialist fire contractors wishing to find more information about the full range of products available from FIREFLY®can visit www.tbafirefly.com