However, for Containment Level 3 (or BSL3) labs and above, cleanrooms, environments requiring exceptionally tight tolerances, and other more onerous requirements, façades can be quite problematic.
Standardising areas of variance and stepping away from totally bespoke designs is key..The perfect future is a ‘data clearing house’ where minor design modifications to better align with supply chain data can transform productivity..
The key to achieving this is better communication between owners and suppliers, where the supply chain can offer equivalent alternatives and remove some ‘bespokeness’ from the process..If we issue the same design intent multiple times but continue to detail it in slightly different ways, the result is lots of slightly different projects, all with different supply chains.Instead, we could save on project costs and schedules if everyone optimised around the same thing, started defining the information behind standardisation and supply chains, and began thinking of projects more like products.. 5.
Only by dispelling the mystique of construction, can we reveal real value..The construction industry needs to shift its thinking towards recognising similarity and repeatability by using repeatable components to create unique systems.. Construction companies are already operating at 100% capacity or more.
Businesses aren’t competing for work, they’re trying to figure out ways to deliver all the work they already have, and how to deliver it with existing supply chain capacity and widespread skills shortage..
This reality creates an openness to new approaches and will force change, but we need interoperability of data, collaboration, and repeatability to make it happen.. Our need to build will only increase as the global population continues to grow, and the amount of energy and technology infrastructure required expands as we head into the future.It is common practice to solve the problem by enclosing timber for increased fire protection.
Unfortunately, this generates additional carbon emissions and waste.. Another issue with glulam and CLT is the debonding of layers during a fire.The glue can start evaporating at a relatively low temperature causing engineered timber to fall apart even before it burns.
If the timber only chars, it might remain stable but may not be suitable for compartmentation as smoke can break through at joints.. Our response is to:.- Use engineered timber in lower buildings with a decreased risk of vertical propagation.. - Involve specialist contractors and fire specialists from early stages to ensure the material’s structural integrity in the event of fire and robust co-ordination between disciplines.. - Engage early with statutory bodies, supply chain, and timber contractors.. - Consider the use of sacrificial layers of timber to protect the rest of the structure and potentially result in self extinguishment.. - Use timber fire treatment such as intumescent paint to prevent the spread of fire and reduce the amount of smoke produced, taking account of the impact on recyclability.. - As a last resort, consider full fire bonding if there is a risk of debonding of layers.