By Wojciech Brożyna – MD Aluprof UK
Leading aluminium systems company, Aluprof, well known for providing high performance fire resistant glazed screens, doors, windows and curtain walls, now supply fire resistant glass to complete their systems offer. The new company ‘Glassprof’, whose headquarters are located in Ogrodzona in Poland, specialises in the production of fire-resistant glass and the processing of glazed units that work in harmony with Aluprof’s fire rated aluminium systems. This is a first for the aluminium systems industry and allows Aluprof UK to offer a single, tested source of supply for fire rated fenestration installation across the UK & Ireland.
Fire resistant fenestration systems are used both internally and externally to reduce the risk of the spread of fire whilst offering occupants safe routes of escape. Whilst specified on construction of various building types, who is responsible for maintaining these systems so that they perform correctly on the outbreak of a fire? According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO), the landlord or building manager is designated as the ‘responsible person’ for fire safety. This individual is legally obligated to implement adequate and suitable fire safety measures. Consequently, one of their primary responsibilities is to conduct a fire risk assessment.
The fire risk assessment serves to identify potential fire hazards, provide recommendations for risk reduction, and document the implementation of these recommendations. It is a systematic approach to recognising fire risks and taking proactive measures to lessen their likelihood and potential consequences. This assessment encompasses not only potential ignition sources but also evaluates the adequacy and accessibility of escape routes, fire doors, fire safety equipment, and the effectiveness of compartmentation, which involves constructing parts of a building to inhibit the spread of fire to other areas or adjacent properties.
In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, fire safety regulations for multi-occupancy residential buildings have undergone significant review, leading to the enactment of the Fire Safety Act 2021. This legislation clarifies the responsibilities and procedures related to fire safety in such properties. Additionally, following the Grenfell incident, the PAS 79:2020 was introduced, offering more detailed guidance on fire risk assessments specifically for landlords and building managers.
The new Building Safety Act (BSA) building control framework was fully implemented in April 2024, and the industry is beginning to grasp the practical implications of the new Gateway approval process for high-risk buildings (HRBs).
Launched on October 1, 2023, ‘Gateway 2’ serves as a critical checkpoint in the new building control framework for High-Rise Buildings (HRBs) during the transition from design to construction. It mandates the submission of a comprehensive application to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which is designated as part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Building Safety Act 2022. This application must detail how the project will adhere to the functional requirements of building regulations, including supplementary information on competence, fire safety, control measures, and mandatory reporting. A multi-disciplinary team, comprising a registered Building Inspector and various specialists, review the application under the BSR. The Gateway application forms as a definitive halt, prohibiting any onsite work until the necessary approval is obtained.
The HSE outlines that the objective of the Gateway 2 process is threefold. Firstly, it aims to ensure that potential design issues are identified and resolved at an early stage rather than being inherently integrated into the design. Secondly, it seeks to confirm that the design is adequately advanced to instil confidence in moving forward with all aspects of the construction. Lastly, it verifies that the duty holders possess the requisite capability to implement the design effectively.
As a prominent systems company in Europe, Aluprof have firmly established themselves as a leader in the field of aluminium framed fire-rated windows, doors, screens and curtain walls. As a building project supplier, this places Aluprof in the enviable position not only of being able to develop and test both framing and glazing together, but to be able to supply complete and fully tested products direct to site.
Thanks to the use of the latest and fully automated production technology, Glassprof offers glazed units that combine various glazing options to include fire protection, thermal insulation, solar control and sound insulation. Aluprof firmly believes that the collaboration with Glassprof will offer comprehensive and hassle-free glazing solutions that will prove advantageous to a wide range of buildings, including libraries, schools, hotels, and student accommodations. Given the paramount importance of fire safety as a critical design consideration, this partnership strives to provide architects and specifiers with a profound sense of assurance and peace of mind.
Together with the new Glassprof products, Aluprof offer a comprehensive range of aluminium fire resistant systems to cater for all building requirements. The MB-118 EI is designed to offer internal or external fire rated partitions that can offer resistance up to EI120. The system suites with Aluprof’s MB-78EI and carries many of the same fire restart components. With a structural depth of just 118mm the system carries a generous 34mm wide thermal break for thermal insulation.
The MB-78EI door with its own 78mm wide framing system can be made up into screens that offer various fire resistance classes up to EI90 when tested to the standard, PN-EN 13501-2+A1:2010. The MP-78EI system offers an excellent thermal insulation coefficient Uf due to the adoption of 34 mm wide thermal break. Depending on the required fire resistance class, GKF (fire protection plasterboard) or CI (polymer–ceramic composite) strips are inserted inside the chambers of profiles and within the thermal insulation space between the aluminium profiles. Fire rated glasses of up to 49mm in width can be accommodated within the system.
Complimenting the windows, doors and screen systems is the MB-SR50N EI, a stick curtain wall system which can offer various fire resistances up to EI60 when tested to the standards PN-EN 1364-3 and PN-EN 1364-1. The curtain wall can also be used in glazed roof coverings and offer a fire resistance class of RE30 as per the standard PN-EN 1365-2. Along with this 50mm wide capped curtain wall system, a further version of the curtain wall system, the MB-SR50N EI EFEKT offers fire resistance of up to EI60 in a cap-less curtain wall system as used at high level on the The Core, a refurbishment project in Manchester which uses the cap-less curtain wall which is unique to Aluprof. These curtain wall systems are enhanced within the profile to cater for an EI60 fire resistance. Specifiers can use the non-enhanced system for the complete building and only use the fire resistant construction in areas where fire resistance is required, this enables consistency in visible sight lines across the build.
Aluprof UK, part of Aluprof based in Poland have been supporting specifiers in the UK and Ireland for over fifteen years with advanced systems that include, high performance windows doors and facade systems. Many UK and Ireland based fabricators and installers supply these systems and are on hand to offer surveys and cost analysis as to what improvements can be made with likely paybacks.
Further information about systems and specification support is available through the company’s website at aluprof.co.uk or direct from their UK head office in Altrincham by phoning +44 (0) 161 941 4005.
