Fire Protection, Fire Paints, Fire Spray, Fire Rating Steel, Melbourne, Australia

The New Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne

Following up on the success of the ANZ Head Office FRS has been extensively involved in the construction of the New Royal Children's Hospital on Flemington Rd, Melbourne. A project boasting a $2 billion price tag, the latest in hospital technology has been given a home to help care for the children of Melbourne, Victoria and abroad.

Once again working for both the principal contractor and the other subcontractors on the project FRS has been involved in both installation of Passive Fire Systems as well as the inspection and certification of those installed by others.

A particularly difficult task at the new RCH was the Vermiculite Fire Spray required for structural steel supporting the link bridges within the complex. With increasing access difficulties coupled with the speed of construction around these bridges FRS was capable of increasing the pace of installation with the adoption of additional machinery and skilled installers; a further demonstration of FRS's ability to solve any passive fire protection issue.

FRS has also been called upon to assist in tasks not directly involved in their scope such as aesthetic caulking and plaster fire walls, which was of great help to the principle contractor to keep moving in line with the construction schedule.

Currently FRS is involved in the final stages of inspecting and rectifying the fire rated walls and floors throughout the complex where services have passed through and have not been sealed at all or have been sealed but using incorrect systems or techniques. The aim at the end of this process is to give the fire separation structures in the building a clean bill of health so to speak!

ANZ Bank Head Office - 833 Collins St Melbourne

The largest commercial building project at the time, the construction of the ANZ bank head office in Docklands was an achievement for all involved. A complex building incorporating 6 star green energy rating it posed many challenges to the principal contractor and its subcontractors.

FRS was engaged by the principal contractor as well as the mechanical, electrical, active fire and other subcontractors to provide passive fire protection throughout the project.

Tasks of note include the extensive system of Fire Rated Ceilings that were designed and constructed by FRS throughout the plant room levels forming part of the smoke extraction systems of the building. These ceilings were constructed using Promatect P100 fire board in order to achieve a 2 hour FRL with fire protection from both above and below the ceiling.

FRS was also engaged to apply Vermiculite Fire Spray to structural steel to protect the structural integrity of the building as well as mechanical ductwork, particularly those that need to remain active during the course of a fire, such as smoke and carpark exhausts.

Working in conjunction with the smoke exhausts, each level of the building had smoke zones and baffles through which many services passed through. FRS assisted in restoring the integrity of these smoke baffles so that all of the smoke systems worked in harmony together.

As well as these specific tasks the sheer size of the building meant that penetrations through fire rated elements were everywhere to be seen. From your standard service riser penetrations through to those that required detailed thought and specification, FRS's role in the sealing of these penetrations was crucial during the construction phase to maintain fire and smoke separation for the building.

FRS tackled issues involving difficult access, out of hours work, increased FRL's up to 4 hours and adoption of Fire Rating Systems not yet engaged in the Melbourne market with ease, overcoming each challenge with a clear and systematic response.

The ANZ Head Office project with its extensive size, the variety of tasks undertaken and also the introduction of new passive fire techniques has given FRS the skills and capabilities to solve any passive fire protection issue that you may encounter.

Walter & Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) Melbourne

FRS has been involved in many hospital projects over the past few years due to both Federal and State Government funds flowing into these market segments. The Walter & Elizabeth Hall Institute (WEHI) has been one of these projects. Situated off Flemington Road behind the Royal Women's Hospital the facility will be a quality example of medical care in Victoria.

The use of structural steel throughout the project was extensive. 'Stitching' in the new facility with the existing building on each level was achieved with the use of structural steel due to many advantages over concrete construction. As is the requirement with most structural steel the need to protect it from the high temperatures involved in a fire so that it holds its structural integrity was a crucial part of the construction.

Typically and historically structural steel has been protected using a spray on coating. In the past mineral wool and asbestos sprays were applied and due to their carcinogenic effects were phased out many years ago. Vermiculite, a gypsum based coating, is the product in use today and poses great cost and time advantages.

However for WEHI the specification from the architect / client called for the use of Fire Rated Board to protect the steel, something that FRS was also capable of supplying. The extensive use of Promatect P100 boards, composed of a calcium silicate base, was incorporated into the construction schedule. Three different sizes were required as well as many difficult intersecting sections and steel layouts. FRS employees familiar with Fire Rating that are also registered carpenters were given this complex task which was a resounding success as you can see in the corresponding photos.

The configuration of WEHI also meant that many service penetrations involved the presence of multiple service types not to mention some being of considerable size. Oversize penetrations are always difficult as many fall outside the testing parameters of the fire rated products available on the market. For this the incorporation of different products was required through the use of CSR Hebel bricks, Promaseal Fire Rated Mortar, Promaseal Fire Rated Pillows, Promaseal Fire Collars and many other products that FRS has at its disposal.

On completion of the project, as with all other works that FRS complete, a Fire Certificate is issued with the relevant Australian Standards and the BCA references so that there is no issue when the day comes to apply for the Certificate of Occupancy.