ROCKWOOL has published a whitepaper aimed at helping specifiers and roof contractors plan for possible fire risks arising from flat roofs used as multifunctional spaces for social and practical applications including solar installations.
The Flat roofs: The functional fifth façade paper explores the fire safety implications of modern multifunctional roofs and discusses best practices for identifying and mitigating the risks.
It also explains the role of the guidance provided in approved documents, including Approved Document B (ADB) for fire safety, and examines potential limitations of such advice for non-standard flat roof circumstances and scenarios.
“While the use of flat roofs as functional spaces is not a new concept, the practice has become more and more popular in recent years, especially in increasingly crowded urban areas,” explains Lisa Stephens, Product Manager – Building Envelope, ROCKWOOL UK. “Now, flat roofs don’t just house plant and building services but energy efficiency infrastructure and social spaces too.”
With the increasing complexity of the flat roof space in mind, this whitepaper addresses the risks associated with social and commercial uses of flat roofs, considering implications such as greater footfall and the impact of penetrations from building services and cabling on compartmentation and fire resistance.
With the market for solar energy growing rapidly in the UK and Europe, Flat roofs: The functional fifth façade also places a specific focus on the lack of dedicated guidance for solar panels despite evidence that their presence may increase fire risk.
Download the whitepaper at https://rockwool.link/ffpr (registration required).
Download the whitepaper at https://rockwool.link/ffpr (registration required).
