Fire Doors In Domestic & Commercial And The Role of CE Marking

The outside of a glass office building

Wojciech Brozyna, MD of Aluprof UK, writes on the topic of CE Marking and its application to entrances in commercial and domestic installations.

Just to confirm, the CE mark is a certification mark that is widely used throughout the EU. It is a declaration from a manufacturer that the product supplied is tested and meets the minimum health, safety and environmental requirements that allow it to be sold in any European member state.

The product ‘kit’ refers to all the components that make up the product from various nominated manufacturers such as the framing system, glazing and hardware. There can be no part substitutions. The product, such as supplied in a firescreen, including doors and glazing is supplied to site complete in a fabricated form. It is the manufacture of the installed product that carries the responsibility for the CE marking by ensuring that the installer follows detailed installation instructions.

From the 1st November 2019 ALL external fire rated doorsets must be CE Marked to both BS EN 14351-1:2006+A2:2016 - ‘Windows and doors. Product standard, performance characteristics. Windows and external pedestrian doorsets’ and BS EN 16034:2014 - ‘Pedestrian doorsets, industrial, commercial, garage doors and openable windows. Product standard, performance characteristics. Fire resisting and/or smoke control characteristics’. This is now compulsory for all external fire rated doorsets and screens.

BS EN 16034 tests External Pedestrian Doorsets for fire resistance and/or smoke control, this cannot be used on its own for CE Marking purposes as it must be used in conjunction with BS EN 14351-1. External Pedestrian Doorsets can include sidescreens and opening windows if required.  The specified performance is then declared on the DoP (Declaration of Performance) and CE Label which is  attached to the doorset. As a result of these imposed regulations, BS 476: Parts 20 & 22 can no longer be used as fire test evidence to CE mark an external fire rated doorset.

 

BS EN 16034

Whilst BS EN 16034 was first published in October 2014, it didn't become a harmonised standard available for use as CE Mark evidence until 1 November 2016.  As with all new standards, there is a co-existence period in which current standards run alongside the new standard which lasted for three years ending on the 1 November 2019.

 

BS EN 14351-2

As for internal fire rated doorsets and screens we still wait for the BS EN 14351-2 ‘Product standard, performance characteristics. Internal pedestrian doorsets. To be cited in the Official Journal of European Union (OJEU) which was expected to be published in November/December 2019. This means that it is currently not possible to CE mark internal fire rated doorsets and screens until the harmonisation of this standard occurs.

Whilst the product will be able to carry a CE mark offered from the systems house who undertook the testing it is important to remember that it is the manufacture of the installed product that carries the responsibility for the CE Marking by ensuring that the installer follows detailed installation instructions..It is also crucial to mention that the correct interface fixing arrangements are clearly specified and applied to ensure that the spread of flame and smoke cannot circumvent the product once subject to a fire.

Aluprof

As aluminium remains the most widely specified material for commercial windows, doors and curtain wall, it should come as no surprise that as a leading European systems company, offer a comprehensive range of fire rated systems.

With just a 60mm frame depth, the glazed window and door system, MB-60E EI, can achieve a fire resistance class of EI15 or EI30 according to BS EN 13501-2:2016. Complete with polyamide thermal breaks, the door system is ideal for use in both external or internal applications. Doorsets can be manufactured with both fixed lights and opening, single or double doors, to create extensive screen assemblies, but external screen assemblies cannot be CE Marked to BS EN 16034:2014.

For specification flexibility, the MB-60E EI door can also be specified with glazing thicknesses of between 4.5 to 40.5 mm and can be manufactured up to 1,400mm wide x 2,475mm high in size per door leaf. Being fully compatible with Aluprof ‘MB’ systems, specifiers do not have to sacrifice sight-lines between fire rated areas and normal glazing requirements.

Pyroguard

Following two years of collaboration with Pyroguard, the MB-45EW door and framing system has been developed and rigorously tested for applications where non-insulated screens and doors are required.  A first for the UK market, the slim system exceeds the current ratings of E30 and EW requirements with additional radiation reduction.  Suitable for internal applications, the framing system also offers a smoke-proof screen arrangement with doors, compliant with BS EN 13501-2:2016.  Pyroguard Integrity Plus glass is the first fire glazing tested and certified for the new system delivering El 15 and EW30 fire performance along with 1B1 impact protection.

Furthermore, in what is believed to be a first for the UK industry, a cap-less, fire rated curtain wall system is available and been installed on a refurbishment development in Manchester.  The project, known as ‘The Core’, is located at 24-30 Brown Street in the city centre and uses the ‘MB-SR50N EI efekt’ developed by Aluprof.

A fire rating of EI60 was required on part of the new cap-less, curved glass facade on the top floor.  Aluprof’s new system, MB-SR50N EI efekt, enabled the architect to have a cap-less fire rated system whilst at the same time seamlessly blending in with areas which did not require a fire rating.

Fire Rated and Smoke Exhaust Systems

Aluprof’s brochure entitled, 'Fire Rated and Smoke Exhaust Systems', explains in detail each product and rating. Aluprof systems offer some of the highest fire protection ratings in Europe, some reaching EI120 - that's two hours fire and smoke protection. Each system has been tested according to UK industry standards with various specialist glasses and many are fully covered by the UK's 'Certifire' certificate of approval.

Office at the Business Design Centre

Since setting up the Aluprof Office at the Business Design Centre in London, the company has rapidly grown their specification influence in the UK with their high performance architectural aluminium systems.  Further expansion of the company's headquarters in Altrincham now provides specifiers with meeting facilities and an extensive showroom of commercial systems to view.

Growth

With overseas growth across Europe spreading into the Middle East and firm roots already in the East of the USA, the company is becoming a global player in facade supply.

Picture: A typical Aluprof Uk commercial insallation.

www.aluprof.co.uk

Article written by Wojciech Brozyna, MD Aluprof UK
01st October 2020

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