Fire engineering and safety
First official large-scale test on a multi-storey external façade wall system performed at FireLab By Kobus Strydom, managing member, FireLab
T
he first official large-scale test on a multi-storey external façade wall system was tested in May 2021 at FireLab at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa. This test was commissioned by Terraco South Africa for testing the EIFS Alpha System in conjunction with the nominated and certified insulation supplier Technopol (Pty) Ltd, manufacturer of certified fire retarded expanded polystyrene and mineral wool fire breaks. The test was conducted following the growing concern regarding the fire safety of high-rise buildings Volume 6 | No 2
constructed in South Africa preventing similar incidents to that of the Grenfell Building in England. The test was conducted in accordance to the recently adopted British Standard 8414, which now form part of the National Standards in South Africa. The Terraco EIFS Alpha System tested was an insulated external cladding for multi-storey buildings. In terms of the new energy regulations, external walls and roofs of buildings must comply with the energy requirements with regard to insulation. The reason is to provide acceptable insulation from hot external conditions during summer and cold conditions during winter to
cut down on the energy (cooling and heating) requirements. The purpose of the test was to determine the external fire performance of a non-loadbearing insulated composite external cladding system. The cladding system may include glazed elements, infill panels, insulated composite panels and site assembled systems fixed to and supported by a structural frame or a fire rated non-loadbearing walling system inside the building edge. The fire resistant properties of the framing and wall system are tested separately and must meet the fire resistant ratings as set out in the FIRE AND RESCUE INTERNATIONAL | 23
