In recent years, the roof's significance in contemporary architectural design has grown. In order to assist specifiers and roof contractors in anticipating and preparing for potential fire hazards resulting from the use of flat roofs as multipurpose areas for a range of social and practical applications, ROCKWOOL® has now released a whitepaper that highlights, among other things, the rising number of solar energy installations.

The functional fifth facade study on flat roofs examines the consequences of contemporary multifunctional roofs for fire safety and offers best practices for risk identification and mitigation. It also discusses the function of the recommendations made in authorized documents, such as Approved Document B (ADB) on fire safety, and looks at any possible drawbacks to using them in situations with flat roofs that aren't typical. You can access the whitepaper by clicking here.

“While the use of flat roofs as functional spaces is not a new concept, the practice has become more and more popular in recent years, especially in increasingly crowded urban areas,” explains Lisa Stephens, Product Manager – Building Envelope at ROCKWOOL UK. “Now, flat roofs don’t just house plant and building services but energy efficiency infrastructure and social spaces too.”

This whitepaper discusses the dangers of using flat roofs for social and commercial purposes, taking into account the growing complexity of the flat roof area and its effects on compartmentation and fire resistance. It also examines the effects of increased foot traffic and penetrations from building services and cabling.

Though there is evidence that the presence of solar panels may increase the risk of fire, Flat Roofs: The Functional Fifth Façade also specifically addresses the lack of guidelines for solar panels in light of the rapidly expanding solar energy market in the UK and Europe.

“The information in the whitepaper will help those involved in the design and installation of flat roofs to make responsible choices when selecting materials to enable a modern flat roof to be multifunctional, safe and long-lasting,” says Stephens. “It offers practical advice to simplify specification whilst going above and beyond legislative requirements.”

View the SOURCE here.

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