Access doors and hatches manufacturer Bilco (www.bilcouk.com) has supplied a roof access hatch and smoke vent from its recently improved range, which provides increased thermal insulation and reduced air leakage, to Brentwood Community Hospital. The hatch and vent are vital parts of the hospital’s fire safety systems.

The Brentwood Community Hospital is a new building on the site of a former hospital. The two-storey building includes a 50 bed inpatient ward as well as outpatient and radiography facilities.

Bilco has supplied a 1,000 by 1,250 mm EW-50 REM smoke vent and a 915 by 760 mm S-50T roof access hatch, with its LadderUP Safety Post, which will provide a secondary means of escape from the flat roof area.

All hatches supplied by Bilco are now being fitted with 50 mm thick faced rigid polyisocyanurate insulation board on both the cover and the curb. Super TUFF-R has a component U value of 0.47 Wm2/K and is ideally suited to accepting a variety of roofing adhesives. It is made with hydrocarbon blowing agents to ensure that its manufacture does not deplete the Earth’s atmospheric ozone layer.

Hatches are now also all fitted with a newly designed closed cell EPDM sponge gasket to help meet Building Regulation air leakage targets by giving a better seal of the cover to the curb. Independent tests have shown that the maximum air permeability performance at pressures up to 600 Pascals is less than 4.83m3/hour/m2 – giving the hatches a Class 1 rating under BS EN 12207:2000.

The modifications will help architects and engineers meet the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations.

The acoustic, thermal and air leakage performance of the hatches – as well as their resistance to wind and snow load and to impact – has been independently verified by tests at Taylor Woodrow’s technology centre in Bedfordshire. Bilco can provide full test results for inclusion in building documentation.

The design of hinges and other features ensures that the hatches are resistant to the effects of ageing and weather in exposed locations.

James Fisher added: “Bilco specialises in working with its clients to provide them with products that meet their needs. We were able to meet all the requirements for smoke ventilation and emergency egress from the flat roof area at Brentwood Community Hospital to help ensure the safety of patients and staff in the event of a fire.”

Email: emilya@smye-holland.com