Case study: NSW Parliament House

Background

A symbol of great historical, political and societal significance, NSW Parliament House consists of a heritage-listed complex of buildings where the Parliament of the state of NSW resides. Located on the east side of Sydney’s Macquarie Street, the edifice has recently undergone a refurbishment by renowned architectural, interior design and urban design practice, Brewster Murray.

As part of the project, the highly flammable and dangerous polyethylene filled combustible cladding on the rooftop had to be replaced with a safer, non-combustible alternative. “That combustible cladding was actually on the list of products banned by the New South Wales Government,” explains Omer Pervanic, the Managing Director of OP Projects Pty Ltd. “So it was really important to find a solution for that.”

Challenges

Apart from bringing the historical building up to standard with a non-combustible product, it was paramount that it had an appropriately engineered substructure, to accommodate the range of weather conditions the roof surface is naturally exposed to throughout the year.

Omer adds that the rooftop space posed quite a challenge in terms of access and safety. “There was no edge protection for our team, so we had to work with life lines and static lines to install the panels,” he describes. As a result, it was paramount for the new cladding product to require little to no maintenance, in order to minimise the need to operate within this difficult to access space.

Lastly, particularly because of the representative character of the facility, it was important for the new product to fit in with the overall aesthetic of the exterior, and match the existing colour of the building for a stately, consistent look.

Solution

ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 from Network Architectural is the world’s safest aluminium facade product, and the only composite material that has been classified for the highest fire protection class A1, according to the European fire protection standard EN 13501-1.

Widely considered the golden standard in non-combustible cladding, the product was a natural fit for this project – and with the largest selection of colours and finishes on the market available, matching the aesthetic of the building exterior wouldn’t be a problem.

After completing a robust feasibility process to remove combustible cladding, as part of the recent re-cladding of all the Telstra Data Centres in Australia, Brewster Murray compared fire test results and performance data on solid aluminium, corrugated core bonded Laminates and the ALPOLIC™ NC/A1. The superiority of the Network Architectural product was clear.

“The Network Architectural product is 100% non-combustible,” Omer says. “It’s passed a range of fire tests – and offers robust documentation to support that. Alongside our recommendation to choose the product we supplied the supporting documentation to the client. As a result, ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 was accepted as part of the NSW Parliament House works.”

On top of the outstanding fire safety and durability credentials, ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 offers a 20 year full cover warranty, which includes rectification costs for material failure. And due to the superb Lumiflon FEVE paint technology, which makes the cladding exceptionally resistant to weathering, UV radiation, corrosion and colour fading, ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 requires virtually no maintenance. “The product is top quality,” Omer enthuses. “And Network Architectural were very responsive. We ordered the product and it was ready to pick up the next day.”

Omer adds that before ordering the panels, his team had to go through the process of inhouse shop drawing, during which the architect and designer on the project asked some technical questions about the bending, cutting and folding of the panels. “We consulted Network Architectural to understand how the product works, and how it reacts in those circumstances,” Omer says. “They were very helpful and provided a selection of technical charts that answered all of our questions.”

 

Click here to download a copy of this case study or for more information, please contact us.

Environmental Product Declarations – A key requirement in external facade selection

Specifying eco-friendly and sustainable products is one way to reduce the impact of building and construction on the natural environment. With the plethora of building products on the market, objective and unbiased environmental information is needed to enable architects and specifiers to compare similar products based on their environmental performance. For this purpose, no tool is more important than Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

In this whitepaper, we take a closer look at EPDs, what they are, how they work, and their benefits. In doing so, we demonstrate the importance of EPDs in design and construction, and their positive impact on sustainable building, particularly in the context of external facade selection.

Download this whitepaper to learn more.

Case study: Durlum airtight metal ceilings

Background

When it comes to providing the best possible healthcare, being able to restrict and manage airflow to reduce the transfer of airborne pathogens is paramount. For this reason, hospitals, clinics, and specialty health facilities are complex buildings that must enable the highest hygiene standards possible, while remaining functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Healthcare facilities are highly trafficked, routinely operating 24 hours a day. This makes it essential that they are constructed from reliable, robust materials that are easily cleaned and maintained. While walls and floors are commonly streamlined, the ceiling accommodates many services which are crucial to the effective function of the building. Aside from the basic lighting, air conditioning and sprinkler services that can be found in most buildings, there are also healthcare-specific items such as communication speakers, curtain support rods, emergency lighting, directional signage and exit information that must be contained within or on the ceiling.

Furthermore, certain areas of hospitals – particularly isolation wards, infectious disease rooms and operation theatres – commonly have airtightness requirements to prevent the spread of airborne particles. Designing a system that can accommodate essential services while remaining airtight is crucial.

Challenges

The key challenge lies in creating a system that is airtight, but still accessible to the ceiling void above.

Some institutions for instance require the ceiling plenum of an infectious disease room to be fumigated each time a patient has been transferred. As such, the accessibility solution needs to be able to withstand frequent demounting. In addition to being able to interface with all of the services and penetrations mentioned above, the system must also accommodate anticipated installations of communication or medical equipment in the future.

Solution

Durlum has a proven system which is made specifically for healthcare environments and has been installed in hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout Europe and Asia for more than 30 years. The pandemic of recent times has seen demand for such systems increase dramatically and the installation of airtight ceilings are no longer contained to specialist areas but are now being installed in many general areas within hospitals as well.

The metal panel system allows access through any panel rather than having a dedicated access hatch. This allows greater flexibility in floor layout and enables services to be more easily repaired or maintained without disrupting the care occurring below.

Test certificates of airtight function are available for consultants’ use in planning for the performance requirements of the ceiling. Durlum has also recently introduced an airtight lighting module to the ceiling which solves what has been one of the more difficult problems with airtight ceilings.

Click here to download a copy of this case study or for more information, please contact us.

Specification of metal ceilings for transportation projects

With its growing population, Australia’s transport infrastructure needs across road, rail, ports and airports are increasing. Designers, architects and specifiers play a critical role in infrastructure projects that need to manage risk and safety, and ensure both community and commercial viability. For airport and railway station buildings, a well-designed metal ceiling can transform a space into a striking piece of modern architecture, as well as fulfil the vital functions of light, acoustics, concealing and interfacing with electrical and mechanical services.

Download this whitepaper for an introduction to the key considerations when designing metal ceiling systems for transport infrastructure buildings.

ALPOLIC™ warns the building and construction industry

13 years before the Grenfell Tower Tragedy in London, ALPOLIC™ released this video as a warning to the building and construction industry.

ALPOLIC™ fr vs 100% Polyethylene (PE) Core Cladding in a real life fire simulation test.

Despite other suppliers in the industry continuing to promote and sell PE-core materials in Australia, ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd has always put safety before profits.

Why not trust a world leading company with a proven reputation in Fire Safe Cladding.

As well as its superior performance under high temperatures and fire conditions, ALPOLIC™ NC (Non-Combustible) and its fire-resistant aluminium counterpart, ALPOLIC™ fr, are backed by a 20-year full replacement warranty from ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd. Network Architectural is the exclusive Australian distributor of ALPOLIC™.

Watch the full version of the ALPOLIC™️ fr Full-Scale Fire Test

Contact us on 02 8316 5000 to find out more.

Architectural supplier business puts cladding to the blowtorch test

Today Network Architectural, the Australian distributor of high-quality architectural cladding solutions, issued a challenge to insurers and government departments and agencies to take a closer look at one of our industry’s most pressing safety challenges.

“It’s clear that some in the insurance industry have been steering Australian architects and designers towards a single class of cladding (solid aluminium) because they’ve missed the science. They’ve mistakenly ascribed higher fire risk to all composite panels, rather than to the polyethylene core material of some composite panels which is the real risk factor,” said Clint Gavin, Network’s National Sales Manager.

For example, ALPOLIC™ NC (manufactured by ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd in Japan) is a non-combustible mineral core (zero PE) cladding which has outperformed 3mm Solid Aluminium in NATA-accredited AS5113 Large Scale Fire Tests.

“We’ll never sell 3mm solid aluminium cladding”

Network Architectural is a strong proponent of the chain of responsibility and the duty of care it owes to people who are buying buildings, working in them and living in them.

“We believe so strongly in ALPOLIC™ that we’ve knocked back many offers for us to distribute branded 3mm solid aluminium cladding,” said Clint. “We know it’s a hot topic and there are still some doubters. That’s why we put both products to the Blowtorch Test”.

 

Scientific evidence is clear

Network Architectural had full confidence that this blowtorch test would demonstrate how the two products perform under extreme heat, having witnessed how solid aluminium performed in NATA Lab AS5113 tests, and given the team had already seen evidence that ALPOLIC™ NC is safer under these conditions.

It’s been an open ‘secret’ in the industry for some time that solid aluminium has some highly- concerning performance characteristics under extreme heat and flame.

Specifically, the results of all large scale wall tests performed in Australia and around the world, reveal that when solid aluminium cladding is subjected to extreme heat, large chunks of flaming and molten aluminium are seen to fall to the ground.

Network Architectural is issuing a challenge to all promoters and distributors of 3mm solid aluminium cladding in Australia to do the right thing and release their AS5113 Full Scale Fire test results without delay.

ALPOLIC™ NC fire safe cladding option and its fire-resistant aluminium counterpart , ALPOLIC™ FR, are backed by a 20-year full replacement warranty from manufacturing giant ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd.

As well as its superior performance under high temperatures and fire conditions, ALPOLIC cladding is known for lower maintenance, lack of oil canning effect, and proven results under Australian conditions over 35 years. With monthly shipments from Japan, Australian architects and designers can be assured that ALPOLIC™ by ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd not only performs better but that it will be available on time when needed on site.

Network Architectural is the exclusive Australian distributor of high-quality architectural solutions including ALPOLIC™ NC, ALPOLIC™ FR, Fibreclad, Prodema, and Durlum Metal Ceilings. www.networkarchitectural.com.au

ALPOLIC™ NC / ALPOLIC™ A1 DtS Non-Combustible Cladding White Paper

This White Paper discusses the test results and performance data of ALPOLIC™ NC / A1 DtS Non-Combustible Composite Cladding manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd In Japan. Independent testing and analysis has been performed by NATA-Certified ExcelPlas Labs who are specialists in the compositional analysis and testing of polymers and polymer composites.

Download this whitepaper to find out more.

The truth and safety of world-class aluminium composite panels

Aluminium composite cladding is an umbrella term for a range of cladding products, and the flammable component responsible for the cladding fires was the 100% polyethylene core at the centre of the cladding. For a cladding product that provides excellent thermal performance, along with a host of other desirable characteristics, designers and specifiers should opt for a mineral core aluminium composite cladding solution.

Download this free whitepaper to learn more.

Victorian Government bans high-risk flammable cladding for multi-story buildings

We at Network Architectural would like to applaud the Victorian Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne’s decision to ban the use of high-risk, flammable aluminium composite panels for use as external wall cladding for all multi-storey developments for the future.

 

The line has now been drawn in the sand. Aluminium Composite Panels MUST HAVE a core material of greater than 93% inert filler (inert content) by mass in external cladding as part of a wall system for Type A or Type B construction in Victoria.

 

ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd in Japan has developed the new ALPOLIC NC Non-Combustible Mineral Core Aluminium Composite Material that achieves all of the safety requirements that have been recently implemented in Victoria.

 

  • Core material composed of greater than 95% inert filler (inert content) by mass
  • Non-Combustible laminas as t ested to AS1530.1
  • Fully compliant to Australian Standards through DtS Pathway (C1.9) for use wherever non-combustible materials are required
  • 20 year FULL Cover Warranty (incl. rectification costs) direct from globally trusted manufacturer (ALPOLIC™ by Mitsubishi Chemical Infratec Co., Ltd)
  • Manufactured in Japan with proven world class quality control
  • Proven coating durability in Australian conditions for over 30 years
  • Significantly less CO2 emission in manufacture than any alternative compliant aluminium façade material
  • Significantly less heat transfer than any alternative compliant aluminium façade material

 

Keep an eye out for this world leading cladding on a building near you.

 

Click to download a copy of this announcement.