ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
able to carry out assessments and aren ’ t permitted to CE mark , and as a result , we will be withdrawing a long list of fire safety products from the market . By not allowing assessment through approved specialist authorities that have been operating for years , we could be facing huge delays to the industry and its projects , with an immediate influx of products forming a backlog in fire-resistance testing .
“ BS 476 isn ’ t recognised under CE or UKCA marking and any manufacturer currently testing to it as a standard would be obliged to re-test their products , causing sizeable disruption - and not to mention costs . Simply put , there would be a void to fill and seemingly not enough capacity within the regulated testing organisations for it to remain successful . With run-in time so essential to the way the industry operates , we must question whether it ’ s a viable solution or if we would be adding to a problem ?”
As part of an ongoing consultation programme , the proposed change to EN 1634-1 remains hanging in the balance , with many stakeholders awaiting further statements to be made . On the future of fire door hardware testing , Daniel continues :
“ Right now , the UK government appears to have paused for thought . Such is the importance of product testing in construction , the implementation of this proposal must be carefully considered , and the industry remains optimistic that each set of concerns will be addressed accordingly - including everything from resources and time to costs and the safety of the built environment itself .
“ Another area to consider is heritage projects for example . Thousands of heritage buildings reside in the UK , and many rely on bespoke door assemblies which can be certified through assessments in the current regulations . For buildings of this type , there is no one size fits all solution . Yet , with the new European standards , each door assembly would need to remain the same otherwise it would likely be too costly for bespoke testing . With such a significance being put on like for like products , the newly proposed arrangement could reduce design options significantly as a result . There is an even bigger issue for composite doors , where there is no extended application , meaning you can only use exactly what has been tested in every way on previous tests .
“ There ’ s no doubt that fire safety will always remain a key concern when it comes to building design and construction and evidently there is a need to continue improving clarity and consistency across the board . Those values must also apply with legislative updates and if the proposed shift to EN 1634-1 is to go ahead , it should only be done so after sufficient time and consideration is taken . Perhaps , with the UK outside of the EU , it ’ s wholly possible to approach these changes with a practical hybrid system ? Only time will tell , but as standards continue to evolve , the industry must anticipate change .”
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