Common Faults:
Poor workmanship especially for fire-stopping
Inadequate design, allowing fire spread over or round a firewall.
Insufficient protection to connected structures, leading to premature
collapse.
Inadequate design for provision of fire doors and shutters.
Non-use of cavity barriers to sub-divide ceilings and other voids.
Fire resistance ratings of 30 minutes integrity and 30 minutes
insulation should be used, i.e., EI 30 in Euroclass terminology
Compartment Wall Categories
Walls designed to separate different occupancies not in the same
ownership or occupation, where these walls do not contain openings
for doors, glazing or services.
Walls separating different areas of the same occupancy with
all buildings occupied by the same company, where these walls contain
openings for doors, glazing and services.
- Walls designed to separate occupancy types eg. factory from offices, storage
from retail or commercial areas.
- Walls designed to restrict the compartment size within an occupancy
- Walls designed to separate hazards or sensitive equipment within an occupancy.
Note: the LPC Design Guide, Appendix 3B - Robust Materials, lists
steel faced Mineral Wool cored [rock derived] sandwich panels as
suitable for use as compartment walls, provided the panels are
at least 100 mm thick core with a density at least 100 kg/m3 and
steel thickness not less than 0.7 mm
Compartment Floor Categories
'Compartment' floors are an important element in restricting the
vertical spread of fire within or between occupancies of one building.
They can be compromised by the inadequate fire protection of shaft
enclosures, lifts, stairwells, service penetrations etc.The LPC
Guide defines requirements for 3 types of compartment floors, differentiated
by both occupancy and type of business being undertaken in each
occupancy:
Floors designed to separate different occupancies or occupancy
types.
Floors in the same occupancy type, by one company or more, in
the same type of business.
Floors in the same occupancy type, in compartments containing
high hazards or valuable contents that are vital to the business.
Compartmentation - External Walls & Roofs
Compartment walls or floors can be compromised if fire passes around
or over them, via external walls or roofs. Insurers recommend this
potential route for spread of fire is avoided by requiring external
walls and roofs in the Protected Zones to have specific minimum
fire resistance, when compared to the rest of the building.