The coatings from Sherwin-Williams will provide passive fire protection for an important public building in the United Kingdom.
The Protective and Marine division of
the international paints and coatings manufacturer Sherwin-Williams
has recently announced that its passive fire protection solutions have been selected for the construction works of a £100 million (around $132 million) Government office building in Blackpool (United Kingdom).
The building will be constructed around a prefabricated steel frame that
will be protected with intumescent coatings formulated to expand when subjected to fire, creating a substantial insulating layer. The steel frame was produced by Leach Structural Steelwork, which is responsible for applying FIRETEX® FX6002 to the external areas, while JM Passive Fire Protection will use FIRETEX FX1003 and FIRETEX FX6010 for the internal steelwork.
The 20,000 m
2 seven-storey structure to be built by the main contractor Vinci Building will accommodate over 3,000 civil servants, in order to expand the footfall in the town centre and enhance job prospects for local residents. The project is scheduled for completion in March 2025, when staff from the Department for Work and Pensions will transfer from existing sites in a move estimated to boost the town centre economy by up to $105 million a year.
The coatings provided by Sherwin-Williams
“Obviously, the external structure is a vital part of the initial stages of any project. We were given a tight deadline to get the steelwork to Blackpool and the fast-curing properties of FIRETEX FX6002 enabled rapid throughput at our production facility, which helped us to achieve the specified timeframes,” has declared Jonathan Leach, the production manager of Leach Structural Steelwork.
The buildings surrounding the Blackpool area are constantly exposed to significant humidity and an aggressive atmosphere, with high levels of condensation and salt. So, the correct level of protection could only be ascertained by gaining a thorough understanding of the structure. The Fire Engineering and Estimating Team (FEET) of Sherwin-Williams has then analysed the design scope of the building and provided product solutions and estimates that met the project requirements, determining that the required 90-minute fire rating could be achieved by using FIRETEX FX6002.
As a matter of fact, this coating had been formulated to be used in environments up to the C5 category and is primarily designed for off-site application, providing the briefest timelapse between application and handling for fire resistance periods of up to two hours, while its mechanical durability reduces the risk of damage during transportation and installation.
In addition, the company suggested to apply a combination of FIRETEX FX1003 thin-film and FIRETEX FX6010 rapid-curing intumescent coatings to all the internal steelwork sections. Once cured, Sherwin-Williams recommended to apply the high solids tin-free polyurethane Acrolon® 7300 as a fast-drying topcoat, in order to guarantee excellent resistance to atmospheric exposures and maintain gloss and colour even in highly-corrosive environments.
“We are delighted to have been able to supply our market leading coatings for use in this state-of-the-art building, which will make a big difference to the people of Blackpool. This project was won by demonstrating our technical expertise to Vinci Build, Leach Structural Steelwork and JM Passive Fire Protection in what was real team effort from all areas of Sherwin-Williams”, has concluded Nathan Mangnall, the business development manager of Sherwin-Williams.