23-Arcelor Construction UK Fireproof insulation wall panel systems News 120607

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Arcelor Construction UK - Arcelor's Promfire panels give Wembley a face-lift

Promfire composite panels from Arcelor Construction UK (formerly Haironville TAC) were specified by architects Corstorphine & Wright for their fire resistance and face-lifting capabilities at Wembley Retail Park.
Situated directly opposite the new national stadium, the retail park has been extensively re-modelled by developer The Junction Limited Partnership as a £10million part of a wider masterplan to regenerate this part of north London.
The project involved the comprehensive reconstruction of the existing buildings on the site and a complete re-imaging of the whole development. Roof levels were raised and each of the eight buildings re-clad in an unusual format with a total 1,500m² of Promfire panels. The scheme also included the construction of a new two-storey office block as an independent feature.
Where previously there were light industrial sheds, built in the 1980s, there are now new retail warehouses for tenants such as MFI, Allied Carpets and Halfords, a central parking area for more than 450 cars, office units and a restaurant plus a customer/staff amenity building and associated landscaping.
Corstorphine & Wright chose Arcelor’s Promfire panels, which are available in a choice of profiles and finishes and come with a 30 year performance guarantee, to transform the appearance of the existing buildings and enhance their fire performance in line with the latest regulations.
“Promfire was the ideal solution here. I have been using the product for the past six or seven years and I like the quality of the finish. Other products are available but Promfire offers the best warranty and a better range of colours,” said Steve Barnett, director of Corstorphine & Wright.
Made from Euroclass A1 rock mineral wool insulation sandwiched between two coated steel sheets, Promfire is rated Class 1 surface spread of flame to BS476: Part 7:1987 and Building Regulations Class 0.
“The insurance industry is moving away from the use of PIR foam composite products and Promfire is the next step up. It’s made with mineral wool insulation which simply doesn’t burn. Promfire is the top of the range,” he added.
Last year, Promfire completed a battery of tests for the Loss Prevention Certification Bureau and was awarded LPCB certification to LPS1208. This certification provides additional comfort to product specifiers in search of a cladding solution with a guaranteed two-hour fire resistance.
The panels chosen for Wembley Retail Park are 1,000mm-wide, 120mm-thick in smooth flat external white Hairexcel Granite. The nine-metre long panels were secret-fixed to the existing cladding rails, vertically rather than the usual horizontally.
Main contractor McLaren Construction stripped the buildings back to their steel frames, leaving the original cladding rails in place. The 11-metre high facades were then installed with brickwork up to two metres topped by the Promfire panels running vertically to eaves level.
This cladding configuration was adopted for both practical and aesthetic reasons and emerged from collaborative working between the architect, main contractor and sub-contractor at an early stage in the design process.
Francis Keenan, commercial director with cladding sub-contractor FK Roofing Services, explained: “Installing the panels in this way reduced manual handling and reduced the number of ‘top-hat’ joints required. It also gave a better finish, looking clean and pleasing to the eye.”

Email: tracy@tlcpr.co.uk