New Zealand’s architectural future is under fireFriday 7 Nov 2014
If the criteria aren’t met, and in the case of solid timber and timber veneers in a commercial setting they aren’t, up to 4 applications of a toxic, expensive, imported, intumescent coating with fire retardant are now required in order to be compliant. It seems fire engineers at MBIE have decided that we must prepare for an imaginary fire event with an ‘in your dreams’ likelihood or probability of ever occurring in reality. Apparently, ‘we can’t rely on past safety performance to protect us in the future’. Really? If there was one thing that the Canterbury earthquakes taught us it is that we can design to a performance level but we have to make educated, not fanciful assessments, of what is absolutely necessary in order to prevent loss of life. The most recent changes to the Fire Code were undertaken with limited consultation and a very narrow view of unintended consequences – environmentally, socially and economically. If you prefer even a hint of timber as an interior finish in a commercial setting, from hotels to museums, universities to surf clubs, you could soon be out of luck. For timber with the Group Number 3, compliance with the new regime is expensive. Accordingly to one timber supplier, by the time fire retardant treatments or coatings are applied, his timber, once sought after and featured in award winning buildings around the country from the Manukau Institute of Technology to the Supreme Court Wellington, is cost prohibitive. The new Fire Code has wiped 25% of his business and architects are silently fuming. Timber, in many respects, is now faced with an uncompetitive and potentially ugly future. It is understood that, even timber used in formwork for concrete flooring now be coated. And testing to try to improve the Group Number from 3 to 2 can depend on the species, density and thickness of material. Need anyone guess what is involved to test across each of these criteria at the single ISO accredited fire testing facility in New Zealand! The rule of thumb is, choose your timber and multiply by 3 or approximately $70m2 – such is the cost of the only available imported toxic intumescent coating. And, say goodbye to any previously stunning timber architecture. Under current product availability coatings will forever change the look and feel of rimu, swamp kauri, southland beech, larch or whatever your preference. Imagine a cloudy milky sort of schmuck and you will get a fairly accurate impression of what is in store. Few are persuaded that the legislation will contribute to public well-being or safety in any measurable way. More >> | ||
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