Good practice

In designing a building it is always important to:

• Undertake a detailed risk assessment to establish the likelihood of ignition.
• Consider fire safety engineering measures, such as compartmentalisation or sprinklers.

For the building envelope each of the main types of construction (built-up systems and composite panels) or insulation (PUR, PIR or mineral fibre) can meet the requirements of the building regulations or the insurers, provided they have been properly designed.

However, as regulations can be complex, the following guidelines should be considered when specifying roof and wall cladding systems:

• Class 0 coatings should be specified. All Colorcoat® products for the building envelope meet the requirements of class 0.
• Systems achieving a grade AA should be used for roofing. All Colorcoat products for the building elements can achieve grade AA.
• Check the stated fire resistance (REI) properties of the roof and wall cladding systems that you are considering and make sure that they are suited to the type of building.
• Check with insurers whether the building will fall in the high-risk category, in which case LPCB or FM panels should be specified.
• Poor workmanship can negate the benefits which come from using a good product. Only use reputable contractors.

If the pre-finished steel is not Corus Colorcoat, it is important to ensure that a test certificate or BBA certificate is provided proving that the material is class 0.