The restoration and redevelopment of a landmark 1930s Art Deco building on one of South London’s most popular shopping streets is making extensive use of Marmox’s A1 rated non-combustible backer board as a key element to the refurbishment strategy. The subcontractor, All Construct, is undertaking the work on the former Laura Ashley store at 54-62 High Street in Bromley, with the designs by Oaten Architects for the mixed use development bringing the prospect of various employment opportunities in new commercial and retail space, along with the creation of 33 apartments.
While failsafe fire protection is critical to safeguarding hybrid projects such as this, the financial viability of the scheme has been achieved through the inclusion of an upward extension to the century old structure and although preserving the original brickwork and stone elevations was always an essential element to the work, the Fireboard is one of the contemporary materials which has further helped deliver an uplift in thermal performance as well as providing protection for life and property. In total, 100 sheets of the 20mm thick version to Marmox Fireboard were sourced from Wray-Tech Supplies Ltd. in Chelmsford for cutting and fixing by Earl Green’s operatives across the window reveals. The Stone Wool based product shares the unique Marmox honeycomb surface structure of its XPS forerunner, Multiboard, to create an A1 non-combustible certified render-backer which is weatherproof and therefore suitable for external as well as internal applications.
The Sales Manager for Wray-Tech, Matt, commented:
“We are seeing increasing sales of Fireboard as an ideal backer board for render or plasterwork, which we buy direct from Marmox. While we have sold some quantities of the 50 and 100 mm thick versions, the 20mm option is definitely the most popular with small builders as well as larger clients such as Earl Green.”
The London based contractor’s Director, Ruben Matyas recounted: “We have used the Marmox Fireboard successfully on a couple of past projects and it was specified here by the architect for its Class A1 rating. It is straightforward to cut and we are fixing it by screwing into metal stud or the use of special fire-resistant adhesive.“
The 600 x 1200mm Fireboards are available in thicknesses of 12mm, 20mm, 50mm and 100 mm and with the polymer modified mortar honeycomb coating applied to both faces having a nominal density of 150 kg/m3 the boards’ core material offers a compressive strength of 90 tonnes/m2. The 20mm Fibreboard is ideally suited for external window and door reveals, ready for rendering.
As detailed in the A5 technical brochure which can be downloaded, Marmox Fireboard has been tested to prove compliance with BS EN 1182, EN 1716 and EN13823 (Resistance to fire test) conducted by UKTC, along with other testing completed by the BRE, the 12mm is classified as Class A1.
The Marketing Manager for Marmox, Grant Terry, commented:
“Marmox Fireboard is proving to be a powerhouse solution, designed to tackle fire hazards, intrusive noise and the biting cold, all in one lightweight, easy-to-handle board.”
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