Window and Facade Magazine Middle East Sep-Oct 2018

Volume 1 | Issue 1 September - October 2018

FIRE SAFETY IN FAÇADES Discussion on the impact of façade design in fire safety, performance of façade materials during a fire, fire

Industry Speaks Christian Witsch, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Extrusions Co. LLC

safety standards and more

FAÇADE DESIGNS New trends in façade technology

1 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

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ME_ENG_window_facade_9x11_0918.indd 1

18/09/18 16:06

A word from the co-founders Dear Friends, A warm ‘Marhaba’ from the WFM team!

It gives us a deep sense of pleasure and pride to bring out our first edition of the Window and Facade Magazine - Middle East. It goes beyond saying that the relentless efforts, endeavours and perseverance of the Window and Facade Magazine team in India for the last 4 years, have led us to the successful launch of the magazine in the Middle East. Nevertheless, it has taught a lot through this journey of four years and gave us the confidence to take up this business worldwide.

The window and façade business is growing globally at 17 % CAGR, which is a positive pointer for the industry. And the rise of construction related activities has gone unabated, which stimulates the demand of latest technologies, materials, products and services. The main purpose of ours is to bridge the gap by providing the right information on the current trends and developments, safety guidelines, regulations, etc. in the façade and fenestration industry. Not just information, a deeper insight through the rich contents of our magazine.

The domain expertise of Zak Group, who organises very successful events and exhibitions like Zak World of Windows, Zak World of Façades, Zak Doors Windows Expo, and Mccoy Group, having more than 20+ years of experience in the construction industry, have made it possible with our combined knowledge and experience to publish such technical materials with complete transparency and authenticity.

We are fortunate to have the leading consultants and experts from MEA (Middle East and Africa) and around the world to help us generate information and guide us to the path of perfection.

Join us on our exciting new journey of Window and Facade Magazine - Middle East to be followed by dynamic digital platform www.wfmmedia.com, which is set to unveil very soon.

Enjoy the issue.

Amit Malhotra and Ahad Ahmed

Amit Malhotra

Ahad Ahmed

1 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Contents

4

Façade’s Hottest Topic – Fire

8 22 38

Tatiana Masalska-Laska, Head of Façade, Hilti Regional office, Dubai

INDUSTRY SPEAKS

Interview with Christian Witsch, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Extrusions Co. LLC

Fire Engineering Challenges Faced During the Design of a Building

John Noone, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Joule Group

COVER STORY: Fire Safety in Façades

On the impact of façade design in fire safety, performance of façade materials during a fire, role of fire stop in fire safety, fire safety standards

New T rends in Façade Technology Ivar Krasinski, Founding Partner/Design Director, EDGE

16 33

PRODUCT WATCH

41

BUZZ

Published by: F & F Media

MIDDLE EAST

Co-Founders: Syed Ahad Ahmed Amit Malhotra

Marketing & Operations: Aradhna Kohli me@wfm.co.in

Subscription & Circulation: Lipi Sahai lipi@wfm.co.in

Editorial: Renu Rajaram renu@wfm.co.in

Kapil Girotra kapil@wfm.co.in

Studio Design: Ting Works LLP

Potshangbam July july@wfm.co.in

DISCLAIMER: With regret we wish to say that publishers cannot be held responsible or liable for error or omission contained in this publication. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek expert advice before acting on any information contained in this publication which are very generic in nature. The Magazine does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of claims made by advertisers. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced in any form or context without the permission of publishers in writing.

2 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

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3 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Fire Safety Façade’s Hottest Topic – Fire

Tatiana Masalska-Laska Head of Façade, Hilti Regional Office, Dubai

About the Author: Currently the Head of Façade at Hilti Regional office in Dubai, Tatiana Masalska-Laska’s area of responsibility is to develop and implement strategy across the façade markets, support the development of global and regional contractors and consultants, advise on new market opportunities and new façade product development projects. In this role, Masalska oversees all market activities and projects in Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and Central Asia. Prior to her current position, she was handling different roles within Hilti’s regional and local organisations. Having worked in Middle East, Asia and Europe, she holds a Masters in Engineering and in Marketing and Management.

The Address- a Downtown Dubai hotel caught fire hours before the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Dubai in December 2015

4 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

If you work in the façade business, you know exactly what is the topic everyone talks about the Fire.

We have recently read many national and international reports on fires involving the façades of buildings, which triggered many debates arguing why building fires occur and how they can be prevented.

Why does it happen again and again?

What do we know about building fires in general?

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), three out of four building fire deaths are caused by smoke inhalation, not the actual fire. More than 50% of people killed in a fire are not in the room of the fire’s origin. Smoke creates low visibility – approximately 50% of people caught in a fire could not see more than 3.6 meters. What most people do not realise is the speed of smoke. Under fire conditions, depending on the situation, smoke will travel 36130 meters per minute.

To limit the spread of fire, we must consider the openings available between the floor slab and curtain wall depending on the project we have.

How large is the opening? Is it 5cm, 10cm or more? It is clear now why all building codes are built based on fire compartmentation. The idea is to subdivide a structure into “fire compartments”, which may contain single or multiple rooms for limiting the spread of fire, smoke and flue gases.

Why Should We Use Perimeter Fire Barrier Systems?

Fire barrier systems are insisted by the Building Codes. All fire rated assemblies require joints and penetrations to be firestopped with tested and approved systems. It is important because fires in a curtain wall can spread in different modes.

case as following:

705.8.5 Vertical separation of openings Openings in exterior walls in adjacent storeys shall be separated vertically to protect against fire spread on the exterior of the buildings where the openings are within 5 feet (1524 mm) of each other horizontally and the opening in the lower storey is not a protected opening with a fire protection rating of not less than 3/4 hour. Such openings shall be separated vertically not less than 3 feet (914 mm) by spandrel girders, exterior walls or other similar assemblies that have a fire resistance rating of not less than 1 hour, rated for exposure to fire from both sides, or by flame barriers that extend horizontally not less than 30 inches (762 mm) beyond the exterior wall. Flame barriers shall have a fire resistance rating of not less than 1 hour.

The unexposed surface temperature limitations specified in ASTM E 119 or UL 263 shall not apply to the flame barriers or vertical separation unless otherwise required by the provisions of this code.

Exceptions: 1. This section shall not apply to buildings that are three storeys or less above grade plane.

2.

This section shall not apply to buildings equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2.

3. Open parking garages.

3) Propagation via construction gaps inside the building (i.e. slab to façade).

A perimeter fire barrier system describes the firestop system installed into the linear opening between a fire-rated floor and a non-rated exterior wall (curtain wall).

Fire spreading modes [Hilti, 2018]

1) Propagation via façade elements: This leads to fire spreading along the external face, with the possibility of re-entering a building (e.g. Grenfell Tower in London). The test standard for this case is NFPA 285.

2) Propagation via leaping

glazing from floor to floor.

through

broken

There is no test available for evaluating whether leapfrog may occur. Thus, prevention of leapfrog is handled by building code requirements.

International Building Code (IBC) explains this

5 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Required Test Standards – What Does It Mean?

Let’s All Agree – Curtain Wall Is a Dynamic Joint

The standard test used to evaluate perimeter fire barrier systems is ASTM E2307. It is a standard test method which determines fire resistance of the perimeter fire barrier systems using multi-storey test apparatus which simulates fire exposure on a building’s interior and exterior. It evaluates the ability of the system to resist interior propagation of fire through the gap between the floor and the exterior wall. The gap must be fire protected in a manner that extends the fire resistance rating of the floor slab to the exterior wall.

There are two options for movement of the perimeter fire barrier systems either static or dynamic. The dynamic test method includes movement capabilities like those of other expansion and control joint systems. The movement cycling prior to the fire test takes place on the same sample that will be fire tested. This cycling simulates movement from thermal “hotconditions” and “cold or daily-use conditions”.

These include wind loading of the assembly, structural deflections due to live and dead loads, etc. Static systems such as steel plate do not allow for any movement at all. Curtain walls do move. They flex under wind loads and due to normal floor deflections. So, one must choose a tested system which has a dynamic movement.

There are a few major third party testing labs like UL or Intertek where all tested systems can be found. It is vital to understand that if a proposed solution is not tested according to the test standards, then whatever is used instead is just a solution which may or may not work. It is a huge difference, which neither consultant nor contractor should ever consider.

Movement in unitised curtain wall [Hilti, 2018]

Movement in unitized curtain wall in non-fire conditions

6 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Type of Movement

Source of Movement

1

Horizontal Shear between façade and floor

Wind Drift Seismic Thermal

2

Vertical movement between brackets at floor level

Dead+Live Load

3

In-and-out movement between brackets at floor level

Wind pressure and rolling vortexes

An Architect’s Dream – 100% Vision Glass For decades now, architects try to accomplish projects with as much vision glass as possible. The façade is the face of the building as well as the face of the architect. This is what people see, what the owner sees and ultimately pays for. Right now, around 90% of unitised systems are coming with spandrel area. The trend is changing and zero-spandrel curtain walls are becoming more and more popular. It gives an optimal view from interior, gives great exterior appearance and is therefore driven by owners and architects.

Zero-spandrel Intertek tested/listed system HI/BPF 120-11 [Hilti, 2018]

Engineering Judgements Façade Is Different

–

Because

Every

The tested systems provide a classified design that has actually been tested and listed for use as a perimeter fire barrier system. Because of the numerous variables involved in the construction of a curtain wall, it will be rare to have an installation that matches all of the details of a tested and listed perimeter fire barrier system.

As such, almost all installed systems will need to be based on an engineering judgment (EJ). Such judgments should be issued by qualified technical staff working for the firestop manufacturer or by the listing agency itself.

Jobsite Reality – Real Test for Best Solutions We all know how it works. One idea on the paper, another in real construction world. Every day brings new challenges. People also present a challenge – we see new faces joining and leaving, bringing different skills and experience. In such a dynamic environment, professional trainings are a must.

Training and certification should be provided by the firestop manufacturer, focusing on how to install manufacturer products specified as per listed system requirements. This knowledge helps in designing, applying and inspection.

7 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Industry Speaks

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8 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

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9 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

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“Our products aim to promote sustainability, reduce energy costs and give access for some special niche markets”

Christian Witsch Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Extrusions Co. LLC

Christian Witsch is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Extrusions Co. LLC and is responsible for all the metal initiatives within the Al Ghurair Group. Following the completion of his undergraduate mechanical engineering at Höhere Technische Bundeslehr und Versuchsanstalt at Bregenz in Austria, Witsch continued his specialist manufacturing education with studies for corrosion protection and coating and painting technology at Technische Akademie in Germany. Besides, he completed his Managing Industrial Business and Environment Programme at the IMD Business School in Switzerland.

On the his career front, Witsch brings 30 years of extensive business management experience to Gulf Extrusions of which 25 years have been dedicated to the global aluminium extrusion industry.

He has held various managerial roles within the Hydro Aluminium Extrusion organisation including Vice President for Operational Excellence for Europe and Asia, Managing Director of Hydro Aluminium Poland, among others.

In an exclusive conversation with Window and Facade Magazine, Christian Witsch sheds light on various facets of the aluminium extrusion industry and the products and services offered by Gulf Extrusions.

10 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Please brief us on the history and objective behind the formation of your company Gulf Extrusions?

Gulf Extrusions Co. LLC, the flagship company of the Al Ghurair Group of Companies, was founded in 1976 in Dubai and we pride ourselves as the first extrusion company in the region. The construction work started in 1977 which was also coinciding with many other ongoing constructions works for DUBAL, DUGAS and the nearby Jebel Ali Port.

Gulf Extrusions started its production in August 1978 and had a good business returns from the GCC countries. The plant saw major expansion work all throughout the years especially in its powder coating, anodising and extrusion operations. Some of this is a vertical powder coating plant to process longer length profiles of up to 8 meters with the disc for powder spraying onto the profiles. Press 6, a 11� press was installed, and it is notable to highlight that this press is considered the biggest press in the GCC which can extrude very big profiles that other extruders cannot produce. Over the years, Gulf Extrusions earned the reputation as the leading aluminium extrusion company in the Middle East.

We are supplying innovative aluminium solutions, reliable in superior quality.

Please brief on your extrusion products.

Gulf Extrusions and its highly skilled workforce can produce around 60,000 MT of extruded aluminium profiles per annum, having a rated capacity of 24,000 MT for powder coated finish and 6000 MT of anodised finishes. More than 17,000 profile designs are available to choose from for various applications. The finished products of Gulf Extrusions are not only for architectural applications, but also covering other industries, such as automotive, HVAC systems, engineering and transportation, among others.

Our products are sold in the GCC countries, Indian subcontinent, Europe, Canada, Africa and Australia.

Where are your products manufactured?

The company’s manufacturing facility is strategically located in Dubai alongside its main supplier, Dubai Aluminium, and the foremost gateway to the world - the Jebel Ali Ports.

Gulf Extrusions Plant, Dubai, UAE

11 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Could you please tell us about a few of your latest prestigious projects?

The quality products of Gulf Extrusions can be seen in many of today’s progressive structures. Right from the beginning of Gulf Extrusions, from its inception to expansion, the company not only has acquired a majority share in the local market, it has also made its presence felt globally throughout the GCC countries, Indian subcontinent, South East Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and Canada.

Some of the recent projects that we were engaged include Dubai Frame, Dubai, UAE; the Opus, Dubai, UAE; Habtoor City, Dubai, UAE; the Address Boulevard, Dubai, UAE; Abu Dhabi Louvre – Aluminum Stars, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Heart of Europe, Dubai, UAE; King Abdullah University for Science & Technology, Saudi Arabia; Crescent City Baku, Azerbaijan; Urban One Hyderabad, India and Worli Mumbai, India What are the advantages Gulf Extrusions have over its competitors?

Gulf Extrusions believes in the power of ideas. We continuously use evolving technologies to bring out the many eco-friendly properties of aluminium that offer tailored downstream solutions on a global scale. Our products aim to promote sustainability, reduce energy costs and give access for some special niche markets, such as the fire proof, low energy and intelligent façade solutions.

Continuous improvement is our daily mantra and fuels the spirit of every employee. Every member is proud to be a part of this world class team. This triggers longterm loyalty and results into the most experienced and capable workforce. Keeping up with times, we look ahead to inevitable changes, product advancements and continually stay updated on latest new technology trends to come up with new products.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE

12 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

What industry and quality certifications do an extrusion company require?

Quality is an inseparable element of all activities carried out at Gulf Extrusions. It is dedicated to respond and deliver on time, and offer high quality and costeffective products and tailor-made services to meet customer requirements. The management and staff are totally committed to implement a comprehensive and integrated quality management in accordance with International Quality Standards. The international quality standards we follow include ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, TS/ISO – 16949: 2009, OHSAS 18001:2007, Qualanod, Qualicoat, Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation (SASO), DNV Certification – Approval of Manufacture Certificate, Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA), Dubai Quality Group (DQG), Aluminium Extruders Council (AEC) and Aluminium Anodisers Council (AAC).

Dubai Frame, Dubai, UAE

What post extrusion services are essential for the industry? What all do you offer?

Post extrusions, we are a full one stop shop service provider for our customers, with full fabrication service and the full range of certified surface treatment (anodising and painting) facilities. Even a not so common processes like hard anodising, electro colouring long length (up till 15 m) anodising, wood finishing, can be offered out of Gulf Extrusions. We will be able to broaden our markets from wherever there is a need for local architecture to fabrication for all kinds of targeted market segments.

Gulf Extrusions is also dedicated to respond and deliver on time with high quality, tailor-made and cost-effective products. We value our customers’ experience and we ensure that we are not only considered as a material supplier but rather as a partner who can collaborate and work for them to provide reliable, innovative and scientific support solutions.

Architects are increasingly coming forward with experimentations, aluminium extrusions are giving way to some imaginative and exquisite architectural designs. Please tell us about some of the technological innovations and advancements in the aluminium extrusion industry to meet the expectations of modern designers?

The aluminum industry’s intent is to help architects produce world-class quality, energy-efficient buildings through a unique combination of physical properties. We provide unlimited freedom and creativity for architects and help them to realise their visions and ideas. Gulf Extrusions is committed in creating a “next generation of solutions” that have superior solutions yet do not compromise safety, performance and comfort.

For Gulf Extrusions, it is important to build window, door and façade elements which are helping to reduce total energy consumption of buildings. This results in less cooling or heating requirements as well as higher comfort. We are actively promoting various solutions for our customers and we hope that more and more of the architects and final users will use these possibilities in their projects. In addition to this, Gulf Extrusions also reviews each project specifications and comes with a special extrusion design for the project, suggests the suitable alloy required as well as design optimisation possibilities for the project towards meeting tomorrow’s technology and market challenges.

13 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Where do you see your company in 2020?

As the leading GCC aluminium extrusion company, we take our responsibility in this field very seriously and this is reflected largely in all our improvement plans. The customers appreciate Gulf Extrusions’ capabilities and quality as best supplier in the GCC market. Based on this very good starting point, further evolutions will have to focus on preserving these strengths. It is in line with the improvement path taken over the last years, which also has been rewarded with the prestigious Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for manufacturing excellence.

The historical investment in excellent and solid SMS Schloemann presses helps a lot. We build on a solid foundation which allows the upgrading with new billet heaters, modern PLCs and fast reliable profile handling and cooling systems. All of them with higher energy efficiency and less environmental impact.

What are the main challenges faced by your industry?

Aluminum industry recognises both the opportunities and challenges they face as they head into the 21st century. While market opportunities are promising, aluminum continues to compete with materials that may offer even lower cost, higher strength, lighter weight or some other competitive advantage.

Aluminum companies must continually innovate to provide their customers with better enabling technologies and superior materials that offer unique properties for use in conventional and novel applications.

Currently, we see the fluctuation of the aluminium metal price (LME) as the biggest challenge to the industry utilising aluminium extrusions. Dealing successfully with these challenges and opportunities in the changing dynamics of competitive global markets do require new business strategies which provide increased planning security for our customers.

The Opus, Dubai, UAE

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15 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Fire Safety

It is important to consider the requirements in the country/region in which the building is to be constructed during the design of a building

16 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Fire Engineering Challenges Faced During the Design of a Building

John Noone Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Joule Group

About the Author: John Noone is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Joule Group, a boutique fire engineering practice in Dubai. Noone specialises in the fire safety design of complex commercial, residential, mixed-use buildings and transportation facilities (railways and airports). He leads strong technical teams to deliver large and complex projects delivering on time and with quality and excellence at the forefront of everything he does.

His teams are highly motivated and proactive, and engage with design teams and clients. He also deals with business protection policies, negotiations with local authorities, insurers and other stakeholders.

A regular speaker on fire engineering at conferences, Noone applies his engineering and legislative knowledge of fire safety to a diverse portfolio ranging from protected structures to large and complex projects.

17 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Introduction From the perspective of a fire engineer often the main challenge faced during the design of a building is early engagement with all relevant stakeholders to relay the importance of implementing and designing a project specific fire strategy from building conception through to building occupation.

In addition, it is vital for all stakeholders to understand how the fire strategy plays an integral role throughout the lifetime of the building in terms of the management and operational fire safety plan.

This article aims to highlight the key considerations when developing a fire strategy during the design of a building.

The Fire Strategy Mandatory Framework

Developing a fire strategy during the design of a building

It is important to ensure that the fire strategy clearly states the applicable legislation and mandatory framework relevant to the country and/or region to ensure approval by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). This should not be limited to building control or municipality requirements but should encompass all relevant stakeholder requirements including insurers and special interest groups in the country/region.

An important factor when developing a fire strategy is to record and set objectives, these may not necessarily be performance or legislatively driven but should consider:

18 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

 L ife safety – considering the occupants of the building, the likely number and type of visitors, contractors and in the event of a fire incident the responding fire fighters  P roperty – the building structure and type, the fabric, fixed and movable assets  B usiness – the business mission, confidence, long and short-term operations  E nvironment – long-term, locality, external and internal

The building structure and type should be considered during the design of a building Many codes and legislations have evolved following fire events often resulting in large loss of life.

Codes often inherently mitigate risk from lessons learnt and provide guidance on basic fire safety concepts such as:  Occupancy type  Construction type  Travel distances  Number, size and location of exits  Time to escape  Fire service access requirements  Fire safety management Although a code compliant solution can be recorded in a fire strategy, a risk and hazard assessment should be carried out and can follow a qualitative or quantitative assessment methodology. Risk profiling can be incorporated to accompany a hazard assessment and fire modelling can also be undertaken to support the overall analysis, if needed.

Codes often inherently mitigate risk from lessons learnt and provide guidance on basic fire safety concepts such as construction type

19 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

A conceptual understanding of how different risk profiles require different levels of resource (cost) to arrive at similar residual levels of risk is essential. As an example, a shopping mall will have a different risk profile to an offshore installation, hospital or an office complex. For similar equivalent levels of risk, different risk profiles will require different levels of investment in fire safety and protection.

Similarly, the same level of spend on different risk profiles will result in different residual levels of risk.

Consequently, a budget will need to be commensurate with both the risk profile and the acceptable level of risk remaining.

Understanding the Importance of a Fire Strategy: Key Concepts The fire strategy should provide information on the design basis for the project and can generally follow a prescriptive code-based approach or performance-based fire engineering approach.

As part of the initial design team start-up meeting, it is often good practice to conduct a Qualitative Design Review (QDR) to which all relevant project stakeholders should be invited to attend.

strategies for new projects should be cautious of making design assumptions based on a high level of fire safety management and maintenance.

A fire system “health check” involving a third party validation of fire systems is often a worthwhile exercise to establish `if you have got what you think you have?’

Different risk profiles will require different levels of investment in fire safety and protection

From the initial concept fire strategy, the existing fire safety management of an organisation can be appraised and data on existing fire system audit protocols provide useful information that can be analysed. This review would include inhouse standards, policies, existing strategies, etc. The fire system audit would determine how the fire protection is working in existing buildings.

If concerns are raised over existing standards of management and maintenance then future fire

Understanding the Importance of a Fire Strategy: Key Considerations Building characteristics require special considerations to be included in the fire strategy.

Starting with the actual location of the building: are there any other buildings or risks nearby? What is their proximity to the relevant building and it’s boundary?

How is the building to be constructed and what advice can be given to the design team as to the length of fire resistance period required. Also consideration should be given to seismic events and the potential for damage to structural fire protection and fire systems after any seismic activity.

When it comes to fire systems, have you got what you think you have

20 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Based on the area, does the building need to be compartmented? Are there any high risk areas or processes requiring special consideration and compartmentation?

Where are the emergency cores and is access to them for fire service vehicles adequate? How many are required?

Occupancy characteristics are a very important issue to be considered within the fire strategy and should review the following:  Occupant profiles – are the occupants awake and familiar with the building (office building) or asleep and not familiar with the building (hotel).  Visitors – number and type – young, old, infirm, family groups, nationality, etc.  Mobility Impaired Persons (MIPs) – does the building have persons working or visiting the premises that require special assistance.

This could be on a permanent or short-term basis following an injury.  Evacuation analysis (incl. pre-movement time) may be required and should acknowledge human behaviour to an alarm incident.  Evacuation modelling and/or people/crowd movement may need to be undertaken to review various fire and other types of incidents.

Every fire strategy needs to be realistic and pragmatic. Consequently, a number of practical issues should be taken into account including:  Understanding the constraints  Technical  Logistical  Commercial/economic Overprotection is also a key consideration. The fire strategy should recognise that it can be easy to over specify and thus overprotect the building with more than that is necessary. The strategy should provide guidance to specifier’s that illustrates this point that applying more and more fire protection will lead to a point where the marginal value of the protection gets less and less even though the costs continue to be applied.

A process for the development of a fire strategy should be used and this would highlight the key aspects involved in producing the fire strategy.

For new built projects, the International Planning Stages that cover preparation, design, tender and construction can be used and may include German (HOAI), British (RIBA), American (AIA) and the Middle East (DP).

When reviewing the fire strategy various interactions may be necessary to achieve two main objectives – to get people out and to put the fire out. Fire detection is only the start, not the solution. To properly meet the key objectives, arrangements may be more complex than realised.

Systems will need to work in a complementary fashion and detailed system cause and effects must be developed and recorded for ongoing testing of systems and future expansion.

Conclusion The importance of engaging an experienced fire safety engineer can assist a design team to determine how important each of the key factors of a fire strategy are to the end result. For example, how reliant is a fire strategy on active fire systems such as sprinklers when compared to fire compartmentation? Can structural fire protection and compartmentation be reduced based on the inclusion of fire suppression systems.

Having developed the fire strategy through the design process for a project the following should be included:  Fire strategy statement  Management of fire strategy  Evacuation strategy  Fire and smoke control strategy  Firefighting strategy  Fire protection strategy The final fire strategy should be in an agreed format style containing the appropriate level of detail for approval by the AHJ. The document should be a controlled “live” document and it is recommended that it is reviewed annually and updated at least once every five years and should form the basis for any future building works.

21 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Cover Story

Fire Safety in Façades Fire safety has become a critical concern in the Middle East region taking an account of a spate of massive fire cases that have been occurring.

It puts a spotlight firmly on the significance of new approaches of façade safety design and engineering, and the risk of combustible façades. Ironically, fire safety concerning with façades is still relegated to oblivion with more priority given on its aesthetic appeal, despite the fact that façade is one of the vulnerable parts of a building. There is a severe lack of awareness about the basic fire safety strategies, importance of analysing the behaviour, performance and characteristics of combustible façade materials and designs. The scenario is getting worse with the unrestrained emergence of new untested materials, flawed façade designs and techniques, no doubt, they are all the rage with attractive

look, modern finish, easy to maintain and install, but the unprecedented dangers associated with it are unfathomable. With rapid urbanisation and home of many high-rise buildings, especially Dubai, it poses greater risks to fire and safety norms. Though the building regulations and safety norms in the region have improved and evolved in recent times, there is a still a huge void to fill in with regard to disseminating an adequate and right information on the importance of fire safety in façades.

Here, the article attempts to delve deeper with views from illustrious experts in the industry on various aspects - impact of façade design in fire safety, parameters that define the performance of façade materials during a fire, role of fire stop in fire safety, fire testing, etc.

ACP system failing NFPA 285 test

Image courtesy: Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants

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Façade Design Aspects that are Important for Fire Safety While designs are pushing limits, the core purpose of façades has remain unchanged. The façade must still protect from the outside, the inside of the building must have maximum usability and both the external and internal façades should keep everything inside safe. Imran Manasawala, Director, Future Architectural Glass LLC, explains that while designing a façade today, there are three key elements which are shaping the picture on the drawing board of the architects and correspondingly the elements of fire resistance are considered.

Imran Manasawala Director, Future Architectural Glass LLC

• U nique external structure – here the size, shape, inclination and form all have to be considered.

In addition, proximity to surrounding façades/ structures/type of buildings play a key role in the design.

• Openness of the interior design - the spans of the interiors, jointless installations and form of the façade have to be considered.

• Safety and security of people and property - duration of resistance, coverage area and type of protection from the fire and heat have to be taken into account.

Impact of Façade Design in Fire Safety

Andy Dean Head of Façades, Middle East, WSP

Jason Pardesi General Manager, Wintech Middle East DMCC

A façade has to be carefully designed to minimise the overall impact on the building. A façade fire has the capacity to totally overwhelm the building’s fire safety strategy if the façade is not designed correctly.

Stressing on the implications, Andy Dean, Head of Façades, Middle East, WSP, “When a fire engulfs an entire façade, it creates the likelihood of multiple break-in points into the building, starting internal fires in potentially far more zones than a sprinkler system could reasonably be designed to cope with.

It can also block fire exits and in tall buildings it can quickly be out of reach of the fire fighters.” Dean further added, “Most façades are not designed for ‘fire-resistance’ performance, as this is only required in certain circumstances and can be prohibitively expensive. However, all façades should be designed to limit ‘reaction to fire’ performance. The main aspect of the ‘reaction to fire’ category of fire performance measurement is spread of flame.”

As the world moves towards an internet and connectivity oriented paradigm, façade design is now moving towards a more aesthetically pleasing design with a look which mimics either some element of nature or some futuristic element. Manasawala says, “One has to stay connected with the past and the future. The traditional brick-and-mortar buildings are now less common and this has pushed all façade element manufacturers to new horizons. They have had to cross the boundaries and develop solutions which are bigger, faster, lighter, stronger, more flexible, etc. basically challenging the

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physics on all fronts. For fire safety in façades, this has caused design challenges as requirements now call for fire resistive façades which are perhaps – shaped, inclined, curved, jointless, covering larger spans, longer duration of resistance, etc.

Various Aspects of Façades Which could prevent the Spread of Fire

Abhishek Chhabra Market Development Manager, Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants

Andrew Pack Global Technical Support Manager, Kingspan Insulation LLC

K. Prabhavanand Sr. Project Manager, Al Basti & Muktha LLC

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If we can focus on the flame spread aspects of the façade then we probably have the best chance of having the greatest effect on its overall fire performance. Dean, explains, “We need to keep the larger components such as panels and insulation within the ‘limited combustible’ range. This would mean passing a BS 8414 test or similar (ISO 13785-2 or NFPA 285). In these tests, a full-size, effectively double storeys sample of the façade is burned in a fire breakout scenario. Even if there is a fire source, such as an electrical lighting fire or an internal fire breaking out and burning the façade around the window, we don’t want the façade material to allow that fire to propagate. Noting that we need polymer sealants and gaskets, even if these burn they will only carry a small flame and provided the main elements are not readily flammable, that flame won’t find anything to subsequently ignite.”

As façades industry is now reshaping the building envelope, we are seeing an increased use of key materials such as completely glass cladded façades, glazed façades with Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) highlights, completely ACP cladded façades. As such, beyond doubt the development and advancement in technology has to focus on the glass and glazing system and the ACP having a higher resistance of and in a fire. Protection of Fire (or fire integrity, “I”) is something that cannot be controlled since the sources of starting a fire can be several, however, resistance of heat and fire (or fire integrity and insulation, “EI”) should be a mandatory consideration, puts forward Manasawala. He stresses that in addition, glass and ACP both have to maintain its structural integrity during a fire and when firefighting to ensure that the fire remains compartmentalised. This is tested by a “Hose Stream Test” requirement while the products are being developed and tested and only products which pass this “Hose Stream Test” should be given the responsibility of assured protection.”

With an emphasis on four keys that call for attention, Jason Pardesi, General Manager, Wintech Middle East DMCC, says, “There are four key considerations in my opinion - material specification, façade system design, compartmentalisation strategy and QA/QC. Coming up with a design that works on paper and in the tests is pointless if it is not delivered on site. We need to make sure that the contractors are delivering what we design.

The installers may not understand the importance of what they are doing on site or how it may contribute to the performance of the building.”

Parameters that Define the Performance of Façade Materials during a Fire The specific characteristics of the component materials (combustibility, flame spread, smoke generation, flaming droplets, etc.) define the performance of the materials individually but these do not define the performance of the specific assembly in which they are contained. With an interesting insight on this aspect, Pardesi shares, “A more holistic approach is required to understand the performance of the façade in a fire – the performance of substructure, framing, insulation, membranes, finishes, sealants, cavity barriers, etc. all need to be considered individually and compositely.”

Building façades can be considered as one of the most critical elements of construction especially in the case of fire, where poor performance façades can lead to severe fire spread and building damage sometimes, resulting in the loss of human life. Aaron Mc Daid, Principal, Design Confidence Consultancy, adds, “Without getting too technical, material performance in a façade can be influenced by many factors not relating to the material properties at all. For example, the thickness of the material, installation orientation and even the size of the ventilation gap. In relation to the material properties, typically façade materials are composite in nature (a combination of different material layers). These are usually termed Metal Composite Material (MCM) or Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP).

Such panels consist of an outer layer of typically powder coated aluminium with an internal layer of Low-Density Polyethene (LDP). It is the coating on the aluminium panel and the LDP which can combust when exposed to heat and flame that tends to burn and spread flame. For this reason, it is important that the material specification is to a compliant standard and also that the system itself (actual installation condition) is tested and complies with the regulatory requirements.”

Giving an interesting perspective, Abhishek Chhabra, Market Development Manager, Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants, quips in, “Four separate properties related to fire that need to be evaluated for each of the material (say 10 materials) and then the resultant fire behaviour of an engineered façade system needs to be evaluated again. This is critical as each of the 10 materials could behave very well when tested alone in a given environment; but the moment the reaction or behaviour of one material will affect that of the adjacent second material; the resultant behaviour of the complete system can starkly vary, such as ignitability defines under what temperature and other conditions any material can catch fire; calorific value quantifies how much burnable content the material has; combustibility which is dependent on both ignitability and calorific value but also dependent on the volume and concentration of burnable content across the body of the building material being supplied; and there are also properties that quantify the amount and degree of smoke and droplets (if plastic).”

Kingspan KoolthermTM K5 External Wall Board and Kingspan KoolthermTM K15 Cladding Board were used to insulate Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.

Senior Rehabilitation Hospital, Abu Dhabi The structure was pre-existing and the façade required several different approaches for fire stopping

Image courtesy: Conceptual Design Consultant Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart (SRSS)

Image courtesy: Wintech Middle East DMCC

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Cover Story “There is No Compromise for Life Safety”

Hesham Kameshki Marketing & Business Development Manager, Technal Middle East

What are the parameters that define the performance of façade materials during a fire?

The main parameters for façade performance have been very clearly outlined by the building codes of respective countries.

Whilst the GCC refers to American and European building codes, many countries such as UAE have come up with clearly outlined fire and life safety codes. These codes help the designers, manufacturers and contractors to streamline their building design to ensure property and life safety. For example, our curtain wall solutions are geared towards meeting the highest specifications regarding fire safety.

What are the material fire safety standards that are most commonly applied?

When it comes to façades and specifically curtain wall glazing, ASTM and EN standards are heavily referred to. Due to the recent fire incidents, the curtain wall assembly is required to comply with EN 1364-4 standards as a full tested assembly for a minimum of two hours which our curtainwall system achieved.

The enforcement of these codes is aimed to ensure safer façade construction.

Dubai Design District (d3) – Dubai

How important is the use of fire rated glass? Is it affordable or is there a substitute that most companies go with?

Fire rated glasses are commonly used in important areas such as emergency exits and entrances. The use of EI 60 doors and partitions are common for these zones and here again tested assemblies with third party approvals/listing and civil defence approvals are mandatory. Well, there is no compromise for life safety, so the use of good quality fire rated glass should not be compromised.

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How conscious are the builders/developers/architects about the guidelines, standards and norms for fire safety?

Today, it’s absolutely mandatory for building stakeholders to pay attention to the codes and adhere to them. I believe this is a great sign for the industry and will only help the façade industry to grow in the region.

TECHNAL® Minimalistic Sliding High Performance Large Dimension Slider (LUMEAL XXL)

TECHNAL® Pull-Slide Casement High Performance Window (TIGAL GP)

Being a key provider of curtainwall system, which is extensively used in modern construction, what advice would you like to give in mitigating fire hazards?

Like stringent code requirements for cladding assemblies on building envelopes, the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code 2017 specifies that glazed curtainwalls also need to demonstrate compliance through tested assembly to ensure safety of buildings. And fire resistance is determined through destructive fire testing and the EN 1364-4 fire test is one of the most stringent and hardest to get through, I am proud to say that our curtainwall system met the test requirements. Besides, the requirement for curtainwall assembly with a physical barrier that prevents the flames, fumes and hot gases propagating will help to control the growth and spread of fire in a building, thus protecting both life and property by allowing occupants to escape.

There is a severe lack of awareness about fire safety and codes, how would you like to address the problem? Any initiatives that the company has volunteered?

In our bid to create more awareness, we have already launched a campaign to create more awareness among UAE building contractors, consultants and specifiers about fire safety for building façades, a major cause of fire. We have developed a guideline on how to ensure compliance with the relevant codes and standards for fire safety of external façades on high-rise buildings, supported by fully compliant solution using our façade systems with perimeter fire protection barriers from SideRise Group, tested and certified to EN 1364-4 criteria that is proven to be the most stringent tests standards inforce currently. To make it a firmer initiative, Technal will be reaching out to more companies to ensure compliance to UAE Fire and Life Safety Code 2017

Different Fire Performance Tests for Insulation Materials There are many different tests that can be used to test the fire performance of insulation materials.

These range from small scale to medium scale and large scale, depending on the applications and requirements of the respective code in the region. What is noticeable is the emphasis on large scale fire testing of complete wall/façade assemblies. Trusting in simplistic classifications for materials based on small scale testing is not the solution. The reality is that a whole range of factors will affect fire safety, including the design of cavity barriers, fixings used and cavity width. We must improve our knowledge base of how all these different elements interact. Even if a façade system is considered to be compliant with building regulations, it could contain a surprising quantity of combustible material, hence there is the requirement of large-scale system testing for the full system. As any fire expert knows, even some ‘non-combustibles’ are still capable of burning and, in isolation, are no guarantee of fire safety. Therefore, we recommend that a large fire testing is always used to test the fire performance of insulation.

NFPA 285 and BS 8414 are good examples of a large scale test. The tests replicate a fire starting inside a room, breaking out through a window and exposing the external façade to fire. The tests are conducted on the entire system assembly that is intended for use on the building façade. This includes for the wall panels, cavities, insulation, panel rails, joints, sealants, seams, fasteners, barriers and other construction details.

Andrew Pack, Global Technical Support Manager, Kingspan Insulation LLC

Fire Propagation Test for PIR insulated Panel During Test

Image courtesy: Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants

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Importance of Fire Rated Glass It is without doubt that glass has now become a key element of the façade industry and the evolution of glass façades to become more “safe” is thus unstoppable.

The significance of fire rated glass is on rise considering its effectiveness in stopping flames and smoke for a period from spreading through buildings, in the events of fire.

Dean illuminates that fire rated glass can be extremely important but it is not normally required all over the building. It is more expensive than normal architectural glass, and the various types do come with their technical disadvantages. It is worth noting too that fire rated glass needs to be set in a fire rated frame, which also comes at a premium. The thermal and weather tightness elements of such a façade may also be lower than a non-rated system.

Role of Fire Stop in Fire Safety The main principle of a fire stopping is to prevent the fire from spreading outside the room of origin. The idea is to curb the fire from traveling vertically to upper floors of a building through the gaps between the façades and the floor slabs.

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Image courtesy: WSP

Forster ThermfixVario Series (curtain wall/ partition system) Fire classification & rating: EW120/E120, EI120, EI60

NFPA 285 Close up by Knauf Insulation

He also shares an interesting observation on future advances in fire testing and certification that both material manufacturers and standard writing bodies are constantly competing in outdoing each other in a commercial world. Commercial organisations need to constantly innovate to be in business and expand revenues. Standard writing bodies and regulators need to keep up with smarter methods to increase the accuracy of compliance parameters and processes.

Pointing out on how to ensure that the products are safe and fire rated, K. Prabhavanand, Sr. Project Manager, Al Basti & Muktha LLC, says, “This validation is not the expertise of any main contractor or subcontractor. We ensure the proposed supplier complies with the local regulations and also have the authority approval for the proposed product. We are sure the due diligence is done by the authorities during the approval and these are also supported by third party test laboratory and certifications.”

Image courtesy: Future Architectural Glass LLC

Pardesi explains, “Fire stops fill gaps between constructions i.e. curtain wall and structure. The role is to provide horizontal and vertical compartmentalisation to limit the spread of fire and smoke. Cavity barriers are used in cladding to limit the ability of fire to enter the cavity (i.e. around a window) and/or to spread within the cavity of the cladding as if it were a chimney (as has been seen in several fires in the UAE).

A test conducted captures how a specific piece of material (called sample) behaves in a given test environment. But materials are produced in factories using processes and raw materials, which can vary from each batch of the production or so. Illuminating more on the aspect, Chhabra, says, “The concept of certification aims to map the procedure of manufacturing and create an audit regime to check the repeatability of manufacturing process. As part of the certification process, one or more samples are taken, a witnessed manufacturing line and tested for validating properties or behaviour. If the tests fail, the manufacturing process or design or raw materials need to be altered and hence the new manufacturing process is mapped and audited.”

Al Ain Hospital Project, Abu Dhabi | Glass: Firelite, Firelite IGU, Firelite Plus

Main structural elements must be protected against the effects of fire. The intention is that there is not a structural collapse in the case of a fire. This provides the opportunity for evacuation, allows relatively safe passage for firefighters to enter the building to extinguish the fire. Dean says, “Structural materials behave in a variety of ways, depending on their different characteristics. However, the principle intention is to insulate them from the heat. Steel loses its structural capacity quickly beyond 300 degrees Celcius and by 800 degrees it has lost 90%. Concrete spalls off the reinforcing bars, which are subsequently exposed and lose capacity. Wood’s drop in capacity is a function of its remaining cross-sectional area as it burns. There are various techniques used to provide the necessary insulation, including mineral fibre, gypsum boards, intumescent paints and others. In any case, if the structure does not hold, the fire performance of other elements like the façade are somewhat moot.”

Views of Vida Residence at different timescales

Image courtesy: Wintech Middle East DMCC

Effective compartmentation is an important part of ‘passive fire protection’ that limit the spread of fire and smoke between each compartment, including between floors. It requires division of the buildings into compartments and sub-compartments using elements such as fire doors, cavity barriers within roof voids, fire seals and fire stopping. The point of compartmentalisation is to allow the fire to be contained for sufficient time to allow the first responders to attend site and deal with the fire. Jason elucidates, “It is easier to deal with a fire in an apartment than a whole apartment building on fire. The consequences of ignoring compartmentalisation can be seen in most of the recent high profile fires. The importance cannot be understated.”

Image courtesy: Al Basti & Muktha LLC

Compartmentalisation in Structure for Fire Safety

Dean also points out the alarming situation, “Most modern façades are not part of the main structure, and even the framing that attaches them to the building is considered secondary. As such, it is not common to protect them unless they are part of the spandrel or fire-resistance rated.”

Marina Gate, Dubai - Wintech were appointed to provide third party review services on Marina Gate 1 – the fire stopping design proved to be a contentious issue.

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Cover Story “Buildings façades can play a pivotal role in the development and spread of fire and smoke”

Aaron Mc Daid Principal, Design Confidence Consultancy

What are the impacts of façade design on fire safety of buildings?

The building envelope arguably continues to be one of the most important exterior elements for a building functionality and aesthetic standpoint. The building façade remains an elegant component that demonstrates a buildings unique architectural vision, it is also a critical construction component which relates to design different objectives.

These objectives, in particular, the energy efficiency and fire safety objectives are by definition functional requirements. The recent fire events have shown that buildings façades can play a pivotal role in the development and spread of fire and smoke. This is particularly pertinent to super tall buildings as then buildings get taller external firefighting becomes proportionally more difficult due to fire truck ladder reach and hose water throw limitations.

Repton Senior School, Abu Dhabi - BSBG, Design Confidence

As design objective can differ, it is important to find a balance in the design, for example, a good balance of façade energy efficiency vs fire safety of the building envelope.

ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai – Foster + Partners, BSBG, Design Confidence

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What are the various aspects of plot or building, for the most ordinary façades which could prevent the hazard occupancy types, where a spread of fire in the building? building is greater than 6m away for Apart from combustible façade an ordinary hazard occupancy the materials, poor installation, poor joint external wall fire rating is not required. detailing, poor mechanical detailing Although the façade would still need to in fixing insulation and façade panels meet other fire requirements related and poor railing system installations to flame spread and combustibility. contribute to rapid façade flame What role does fire stop play in fire spread and the progressive collapse safety? of façade panels and frames, thus making external firefighting extremely The main principle of a fire safety design difficult. is to prevent the fire from spreading Thus the whole mechanism involved outside the room of origin. Almost in façade flame spread, after initial every fire code in the world is designed ignition, can be pinpointed to the this way. Fire stopping can be applied following factors. horizontally and vertically.

Glass Curtain Wall

Edge of Floor Curtain Wall Gap

Cavity Fire Barrier

Horizontal Fire Barrier

Vertical Fire Barrier

Horizontal Fire Barrier

• R eadily combustible core of the façade material (insulations/ sealants/panels) • Inferior façade panel integrity (poor panel make and skin bonding) • Non-tested and non-listed façade, sealants and fire stopping systems • Poor installation of façade and fire stopping systems • Lack of thermal barriers and cavity fire barriers How important is the use of fire rated glass? Is it affordable or is there a substitute that most companies go with?

Due to the high cost of fire rated glass, it is rarely used. Where onehour fire rated is required, the glass fire rating can be substituted by water curtains/closely spaced sprinklers on the egress side of the glass. Where two hour fire rated glass is required, most companies aim to rationalise the approach with either engineering analysis or an alternative fire barrier such as fire curtain/shutter or fire barrier wall.

As fire rated glass is the last resort and is typically only required when a building is too close to an adjacent

What are the material fire safety standards that are most commonly applied?

The most common material fire safety standards that are usually applied are NFPA 275: standard method of fire tests for the evaluation of thermal barriers used over foam plastic insulation; NFPA 285: standard fire test method for evaluation of fire propagation characteristics of exterior non-loadbearing wall assemblies containing combustible components (exterior wall applications). There are a few more such as EN 1364-1: fire resistance tests for non-loadbearing elements – walls; FM 4881: standard for sandwich panel ISO 13785-2: reaction to fire tests for Interior fires are intervened and façades; and UL 1715: standard for fire controlled by automatic sprinkler system test of interior finish material. or by firefighters. However, when the How important is compartmentation fire outgrows fire fighter’s efforts or the in structure for fire safety? sprinkler system and reaches flashover stage (typically when all the air is used in Compartmentation/fire separation aims the fire compartment), hot combustion to prevent the spread of heat and smoke cases spread out of the room in search to adjacent rooms remote from the fire. of fresh oxygen. When the gasses mix This containment approach limits the with the fresh air, the resultant fire amount of fuel, the size of fire and provides reaction causes flames to leap out from an enhanced level of protection to those the window openings onto the exterior rooms which are remote from the room façade or cavities behind the façade of fire origin. Although the regional/local causing what is sometimes referred to requirements require most of the buildings to be protected by the automatic sprinkler as the “leapfrog” effect. system, the compartmentalisation, fire At this stage, if the façade panel material compartmentation between two rooms/ delaminates exposing the core, where occupancies play a critical role in the spread the core is combustible, the flames may of fire. Mainly, the fire compartmentation start heating the combustible material provides an enhanced fire safety for on the façade, spreading along the evacuation of the occupants from one surface of the façade and along the place to the point of safety. For example, cavities behindthe façade resulting in in hotel occupancies, the guest rooms are required to be at least 1-hour fire separated the potential for rapid flame spread. from each other which gives the sleeping If the floor slab fire stopping is absent occupants enough time to act in case of or firestop material is not approved fire and move towards the point of safety and not installed as per standards, if i.e. exit stair. the curtain wall is not listed, the flames may penetrate through the gaps and reach for the upper floors. Flames can even propagate downwards in some instances. Such propagated flames may find the other openings such as windows on the building exterior and enter back into the buildings, feeding on the interior fire load, further propagating combustion on other floors. This “reverse leapfrog” effect can continue along the building from floor to floor, to height and width, consuming the The Opus, Dubai – Zaha Hadid, building façade swiftly.

BSBG, Design Confidence

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Awareness about the Standards for Fire safety Over the recent years, the awareness and knowledge level in the industry has risen significantly in the Middle East after witnessing a surge in fire-related incidents.

Dean explains, “The 90s saw sustainability, post-millennium the chatter was about modularisation and building height, but in the last decade fire has come into focus in many parts of the world; particularly in the context of façades. It’s arguable that the timing of this awareness would have been more convenient before the pre-crash building boom, but at least now there appears to be a concerted effort to fixing the mistakes.”

Besides, a number of seminars, conferences, training sessions, guidelines, literature, etc. are held quite frequently than before which has led to a more educated market.

However, the commercial devil always lurks into the brain when the subject of firerated façades comes to the table. As Manasawala rightly puts in, “Slowly but surely, a mindset shift is required which will focus on having a long-term view and need to remember that the sweet taste of a low price is long forgotten when the bitterness of a poor quality or failed system sets in.”

Image courtesy: Al Basti & Muktha LLC

View Of Vida Residence in the backdrop of downtown Burj Khalifa District 32 WFM | SEP - OCT 2018

Faรงade Designs

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New Trends in Faรงade Technology

Ivar Krasinski Founding Partner/Design Director, EDGE

Ivar Krasinski is the driving force behind the phenomenal growth and success of the architectural firm EDGE, based in Dubai. Prior to forming EDGE, he has worked at top international organisations for over 20 years and brings specialist design knowledge of multiple market sectors. His knowledge of process optimisation and ability to leverage current design technology allows clients to enjoy high quality services tailored to their specific needs.

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New Trends in Façade Technology

Sustainability and Optimisation

Façades are the first thing perceived by anyone using a building. Most of the building’s soul and spirit is expressed by the façade. Each façade helps brand a building, if designed with this in mind. This makes façades one of the most exciting components of building. This excitement is amplified by many new trends in façade design. The most interesting ones are in façade optimisation/sustainability, 3d printing and dynamic façades.

In a world where glass curtainwall façades are considered desirable by many, despite their poor U-value and weak energy performance, there is a trend toward façade optimisation for sustainability. You may ask what this is - the answer is quite logical. In areas where more light is available, less glass is needed. In areas where less light is available, less solid surface is needed.

Solid surfaces are needed in sustainable façade design because of the U-value issue.

All of these are complementary, each improving the performance of the others, resulting in incredibly sophisticated, sustainable and economical façades.

The U-value of glass ranges from 5.8 for the worst performing to 4 for the best performing argon windows. Add to this the fact that the space behind the glass cannot be insulated, since it would defeat the purpose of the glass being there, and it becomes clear that glass use should be minimised in the GCC.

Different façade techniques that corresponds to the radiation analysis to achieve not only the complex and dynamic presence but also the highly optimum solution to reduce solar gain

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Conversely, concrete block even at its worst performance has a U-value of 3 and at the best performing is around 2. Thatโ s a 50% reduction in heat conduction. By adding insulation to the back of the block, we can improve U-value even more.

This makes it clear that as long as sufficient light levels are achieved, the solid part of the exterior skin should be maximised, especially in the GCC. In the past the reduction of glass in the design of various faรงades had to approximate the amount of light hitting any surface. Nowadays, we have accurate energy and light monitoring software which can accurately show the average amount of light falling on any faรงade for a given cycle of time. For faรงade design we use parametric software which allows the sizes of see-through portions of the exterior skin to be automatically adjusted to the light levels inside the building.

This ensures that natural light levels are not compromised with the replacement of see panels with solid panels.

The result of such a process is logical. The amount of glass falling on any very bright surface is significantly reduced, while in darker parts of the faรงade, the amount of glass increases. The parametric software can be set up to reduce glass by changing window opening sizes, or creating denser and looser patterns of similarly sized solid panels.

This process is still underutilised today, but over time will be adopted by the mainstream because the logic behind it is indisputable.

3D Printed Construction In the past building walls with various sizes of openings would reduce repeatability, therefore increasing construction cost to a level which was not economical. As a result, the kind of optimised faรงade discussed in the first part of this article was very unlikely to ever be constructed.

With the advent of 3D printed construction, there is now an ability to build complex forms without the exponential increase in cost which was required by more traditional methods of construction.

3D printing is no longer a technology solely relegated to models, and many 3D printed

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occupiable structures and buildings have appeared over the last few years. While it is true that this technology is in its youth, it is evolving very fast. By the time that designs started today will be finished, 3D printed construction will be even more accessible.

For those who have not had time to look into this, 3D printed walls are built out of glass reinforced concrete which is shot out of a nozzle, similarly to the way resin or plastic shoots out of a nozzle to create a 3D printed model. Behind this process needs to be a good electronic 3D model of the surface to be printed.

Since 3D printing of models has been around for much more time than 3D printed construction, the software, standards and best practices are very advanced. This means that someone who is fluent with the printing of 3D models at a smaller scale, will be able to switch over to 3D printed construction seamlessly.

This technology will also become mainstream very soon, due to the possibilities which it offers, and along with these possibilities the speed of construction of complex forms will grow exponentially, reducing costs significantly.

Currently there are pretty strict size limits on such a construction process, but these will get looser and looser over time, eventually leading to the construction of 3D printed high-rise buildings.

Once this happens, everything will change for the better.

The ability to construct the parametric faรงades discussed at the start will be greatly enhanced as 3D printing technology advances. Faรงade design will never be the same.

Dynamic Faรงades The current world of construction is largely stuck in the static frame. Since faรงades do not typically move, this means that for optimisation we need to rely on average yearly light conditions. With dynamic faรงades all this is changed. It is true that dynamic faรงades go back as far as the Institut du Monde Arabe in 1973, but the technical issues associated with so many moving parts discouraged most designers and clients from implementing this approach.

Dynamic façades adapt to lighting and heat conditions through the use of moving parts. They can significantly improve the sustainability of any building by optimising the façade under any given conditions. Combining this with parametric design and the approach to solid and open wall described at the start of the article, performance will be enhanced even more.

As manufacturing technology for complex moving building parts continues to improve, the maintenance concerns associated with moving façades in the past will be erased.

This is an exciting time to be an architect or façade engineer because tools which were relegated to theory in the past, are now available in the real world, working at large scales. When I say that façade design will change totally during the next 10 years, it is not an exaggeration. It is a fact.

Visit: www.edgedesign.ae

Optimised façades design

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product WATCH Technal® launches Tech3D® - an exclusive 3D BIM objects configurator for windows, doors and façades Technal® has launched Tech3D® – an exclusive 3D BIM objects configurator for windows, doors and façades for architects and consultants. It gives the professionals in the construction industry the opportunity to plan more efficiently, design, construct and manage buildings. BIM aims to manage a building’s lifecycle – from initial design and construction to operation, maintenance, dismantling and recycling.

Different levels of details and information within the BIM object are needed, depending on the stage of the project. At the architectural design stage, a simple representation is required; while at the construction stage, all details and exact performances are mandatory. Current architecture and complex aluminium constructions sometimes make difficult to use the ready-made BIM objects.

Tech 3D® as a Plug In on Revit Interfaces.

Also available as standalone versions for sketch up, archicad and ifc formats

As per the company statement, the company developed the Tech3D® software after consulting the leading architects and to fulfil their expectations.

Produce accurate façade details, interfaces and detailed drawings using Tech 3D®

Seamlessly define façade configurations as per project requirements

The software provides a host of benefits, such as saving time to produce a BIM object for architectural aluminium construction designs; generate a wide variety of projects from a basic window to a complex façade; get the level of detail needed to reduce the file size; import it into the original BIM project whatever the architecture software, etc.

Besides, a high level of rendering allows to visualise the construction in only few minutes. The application works totally in 3D to the benefit of the different views and see how your element looks like. It is also possible to easily place any mullion or transom in your construction and use all the variety of colours, even dual colours for a perfect rendering.

The company said, “At Technal®, our goal is also to simplify and improve communication and information exchange between project stakeholders and Technal.

With Tech3D®, this is now a reality.”

Various Façade Elements such as curtain wall, doors and windows drawn seamlessly on Tech 3D®

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To know more about Tech3D® and to organize a demo, please contact: arvind@technal.com.bh

product WATCH

Fischer’s innovative A|C|T systems leading the façade fixing industry The A|C|T system by fischer innovative solutions, a Germany-based fixing technology company, is an innovative system for façade fixing allowing unmatched versatility and the use of ashlar-made façade boards (20mm thickness) and TVG and ESG glass plates (6mm of thickness).

Earlier this year, fischer came through again for the VIDA residence downtown with their highly versatile A|C|T system to handle their façade fixing requirements.

The project that currently holds a major significance in Dubai’s current construction scene, the VIDA Residency by EMAAR situated in the downtown area of Dubai, is a signature residence tower of more than 60 floors connected to VIDA hotel via an air-conditioned bridge. It is also a very important achievement for fischer for being the first project of its kind with their complete A|C|T system supporting marble fixing from vertical and horizontal profiles and brackets to undercut anchor bolts.

This project was quite a challenge for fischer, taking into consideration the approval process

alone taking over five months of working very closely with the sub-contractor “AMBB stone and marble”, “Al Basti & Mukhtha” the contractor and the consultants “NORR and meinhardt” in resolving many technical challenges and concerns. They also faced very fierce competition from other competitors specialising in façade fixing. But fischer, with their dedicated design team and their on-the-ground hands-on approach ensured their clients were provided timely support both on-ground and through superior technical competence at all times giving them the edge over the competition. fischer through their unrivalled customer-centric business approach, has won multiple projects in the region and around the globe, and also well known for their various services such as ondemand knowledge sharing seminars to product demonstrations and industry-based technical advice.

To know more, contact: enquiry@fischer.ae or marketing@fischer.ae.

product WATCH Guardian Glass launches Guardian SunGuard® SuperNeutral® series – the first of its kind for the region Guardian Glass has expanded its Middle East’s product line portfolio with a new addition - the Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral (SN) series of coated glass products. Locally manufactured at the Saudi Guardian International Float Glass Ltd. (GulfGuard), these innovative high performance products outpace the region’s current offerings as the most technically advanced coated glass, developed to meet the complex needs of the Middle East and Asia in terms of climate, regulations and architectural and aesthetic requirements.

Six glass products fall under the new series, all of which feature double silver coating of the highest performance. The products come in a range of options, offering customers the flexibility to create the perfect balance between light transmission and solar heat gain in different commercial applications. In terms of aesthetics, the SN series has been designed to have a neutral appearance with the least amount of colour shift when viewed at different angles.

Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral (SN) series of coated glass products

In addition to being energy efficient, the SN series helps to promote environmental sustainability by reducing shipping time for projects based in the Middle East and Asia. The new SN series will also help developers in the region seeking LEED certification by helping to increase point values in a number of categories, including daylighting, selectivity and logistics.

As a part of the launch, Guardian Glass’s trained and certified local Technical Advisory Centre (TAC) team of experts will conduct a tour visiting processors in the Middle East and Asia to brief, train and certify use of the new SN series. The TAC team will be available to provide around-theclock support on different types of projects to help clients choose the best glass and provide handson training, technical advice, and after-sales service.

GulfGuard was the first glass manufacturing plant in the Middle East and today includes a vacuum sputter coater that produces the SN and other high performance coated glass products.

Guardian Glass has been producing SunGuard advanced architectural glass products for decades but this is the first time they will be introduced to the company’s Middle East customers and manufactured at the GulfGuard plant.

To know more, contact: wkazzaz@guardian.com

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BUZZ CTBUH’s 2018 Middle East Conference on “Polycentric Cities” to commence on October 20 The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is all set to host its 2018 Middle East Conference on “Polycentric Cities: The Future of Vertical Urbanism” at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai on October 20-25, 2018. This most sought after event offers a wide variety of benefits and opportunities to attendees, speakers and sponsors, such as learning opportunity from distinguished experts on the latest developments in tall buildings, infrastructure and urban development; gain knowledge and insight in the latest approach on sustainability; develop collaborative partnerships and business leads; better understanding of the business opportunities in the Middle East and internationally; network with top globally influential people in the industry, etc.

The event will feature symposiums, presentations, panel discussions, seminars and technical demonstrations that provide deep explorations of the themes. Besides, the conference will discuss on various subjects and topics - smart technologies, modular construction, 3D-printing buildings, net-zero skyscrapers and much more.

Each day will start with a plenary session of keynote speakers, there will be eight parallel tracks each focusing on a different theme. Three of these eight tracks will be symposiums, standalone branches of the conference highlighting closely on a hot topic in the tall building industry. These symposiums will run parallel to the five other tracks featuring a series of presentations, panel discussions, seminars and technical demonstrations. In addition, there will be an off-site programmes across

numerous tall building and urban venues in Dubai which will take place on the fourth day of the event. Delegates will have the opportunity to experience the vibrant city of Abu Dhabi on the fifth and sixth days of the conference, where they will engage in a rich 1.5-day programme that explores the city’s premier developments, infrastructure hubs and cultural sites.

The keynote speakers who will share their expertise and knowledge at the event include Andy Dean, Head of Façades, WSP; Jaron Lubin, Principal, Safdie Architects; Michael Palmer, Managing Principal, Perkins+Will; Nicoleta Popa, Head of Construction Resident Engineers, ArcelorMittal; Lan Wang, Architectural Design Director, Shanghai Tower Construction & Development, etc.

Dubai, the host city, is the ideal reflection of the theme, and it is one of the most prolific centers of tall building construction anywhere in the world, and its population continues to skyrocket, driving the need for still more activity. With more than 175 buildings over 150 meters, and 43 more under construction, the city has the world’s third largest number of buildings.

The middle eastern city is comprised of multiple central districts – Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai Marina, Festival City, Palm Jumeirah and several others. The second host city, Abu Dhabi, is also a unique example of polycentrism taking hold with skyscrapers and a unique architectural expression that responds to the cultural and environmental conditions of the region.

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BUZZ

Fentress Architects to design the USA pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

Colorado-based architecture firm Fentress Architects has been selected to design the United States of America’s pavilion at expo 2020 Dubai as a consortium partner with Big Things Group, a world leader in building, funding, and operating major expositions and public diplomacy events. The yet-to-be-revealed project builds on Fentress’ experience in the region where the “Dancing Sisters” mixed-use towers opened in 2012.

Dubai was selected to host the 2020 World Expo in 2013. The expo’s overarching theme is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” with sub-themes focusing on Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability. Pavilion USA 2020’s winning design plans for the USA Pavilion were based on the theme “What Moves You” and will feature highlights of American culture, leading technological revolutions in mobility, and much more.

Fentress’ design for the US Pavilion will create a powerful metaphor for the dynamism of American culture and values of ingenuity, progress and innovation. The team

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behind the new concept is a consortium of top individuals and agencies who will work together to make the USA Pavilion a showcase of the innovation, creativity and diversity that defines the United States.

“Working across the US has given Fentress Architects diverse perspective on the attributes and attitudes that Americans share. We will coalesce these characteristics into a single architectural expression at Expo 2020 Dubai, representing the entirety of the US and its design prowess to an international audience,” said Curtis Fentress, principal in charge of design at Fentress Architects.

Expo 2020 Dubai is the third largest global event after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. The mega event is expected to draw over 25 million visitors from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

BUZZ Abu Dhabi’s Wahat Al Karama wins prestigious German Design Award Abu Dhabi’s Wahat Al Karama (Oasis of Dignity) has been announced as one of the winners of the German Design Award, an annual competition organised by the German Design Council, to recognise exceptional architectural projects and products.

Conceived by the world renowned Britist artist Idris Khan in collaboration with Brisbane-based architecture firm bureau^proberts and design consultancy Urban Art Projects (UAP), the monument comprises 31 aluminum clad leaning tablets, the largest soaring 23 metres in height. The tablets appear to gently rest on each other symbolising the united strength of the seven nations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Each features a series of Arabic poems and quotes from both the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and entice the viewer to read, reflect and touch the artwork, creating a personal relationship with the memorial.

Oasis of Dignity was recognised and selected at the design award for its sheer innovative architectural design from a jury panel that includes experts in architecture, interior design and trademarks. The award includes five categories: Conceptual Architecture, Interior Design, Retail Architecture and Urban Space.

Notably, Oasis of Dignity also won the 2017 American Architecture Prize after being selected by a 36-person international jury last year. It is an annual award that assesses projects according to the criteria, such as design excellence, innovation and function in the fields of architecture, landscape and interior design.

Windows Doors & Façades show WDF features the Middle East Façades Summit, under the to unveil on Sunday, September theme “Future Forward: Revolutionising the next Generation Façades”, the summit hosts some of the region’s major 23 experts unveiling the technological advancements at the Windows Doors & Façades Event core of the industry’s transformation.

(WDF) is the largest dedicated platform for the windows, doors More than 20 CPD-certified workshops run as part of the and façades industry in the Middle Façades Seminar Series. These complimentary educational East. An unmissable platform sessions address hot industry topics, spanning from for windows, doors and façades façades’ sustainability and energy efficiency to fire safety, industry suppliers, manufacturers, BIM, technological innovation and smart design. buyers and decision makers, the event is expected host over WDF is supported by Titanium Sponsor, Schuco; Safety Partner, 150 exhibitors from around the world.

UL; Supporting Institute, CIOB; Supporting Associations, QMEA, Organised by dmg events, the third edition of the exhibition ASA, AIA Middle East, OSH Association, Solar GCC Alliance, ift displays products and services from eight product sectors: Rosenheim, and Contractors Association; Founding Partners, aluminium composite panel, doors, hardware, machinery, raw Orgadata, Elumatec and Schuco. materials, rollers & shutters, service providers and windows.

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MIDDLE EAST

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