UHPC Residential house construction and wooden residential house construction in case of a fire

I see the forest fires on the news and mourn the
destruction of nature and houses. We are
repeatedly asked whether it is not possible to
build fireproof houses with our UHPC.

Concrete and UHPC are non-flammable, so
basically you can say yes we can build fire-proof
houses.
Fireproof houses are not the whole solution to
this problem.


But let's start with the houses.

Most houses are made of wood, making them
a feast for any fire. The houses are set up at a
distance from the ground. In the event of a fire,
the fire is happy to attack from anywhere.
The roofs also often have rear ventilation,
which is like a Christmas present for the fire
and life-threatening for the fire brigade. The
roof still looks good, but underneath it is
burning, whoever goes on such a roof is, in
my opinion, tired of life. Of course you have
large glass surfaces or glass doors to the terrace in the living room, which is of course also made of wood, after all you want to enjoy the wonderful panorama. The fire loves such glass fronts, they are like open barn doors to the fire. The same applies of course to the large entrance area with a wonderful large wooden door.

So there is nothing in this type of house construction that can stop a fire. The photos taken after a fire confirm that there is nothing left.
It is possible to construct a house with UHPC, which keeps fire out for an extremely long time.
Houses can be constructed from precast concrete,
which increases quality, reduces assembly time
and reduces the total cost of a house. Compared
to standard concrete, the prefabricated parts can
be made much thinner. UHPC finished parts can
be removed from the mold very quickly. Due to
the thin UHPC panel construction, the elements
are lighter than those made of standard concrete
and can also be transported and installed more
quickly and easily.

It is also possible to mix thermal insulation into the UHPC material, which significantly reduces
the weight of the material construction. UHPC concrete is permanently heat-resistant up to 842°F.
We also produce high temperature resistant UHPC materials that are permanently temperature resistant up to 2192°F.

UHPC materials are naturally resistant to all types of insects and fungi.

Problem spot: Doors

UHPC can be used to produce doors that are similar in weight to wooden doors but are fire-proof and highly burglar-proof. With UHPC, door manufacturers can meet every design requirement in terms of surface structure, color and construction.


Problem spot: Windows, Glass Fassade
We can only help indirectly here. We are currently working with a window manufacturer to produce window frames from UHPC. Because window frames made of plastic or wood are flammable.
We are also currently developing window protection made of UHPC that closes the window in the event of a fire.

Problem spot: Roof

We can easily make a pitched roof or flat roof
from UHPC. A pitched roof can have any
desired surface design and color.

A wonderful fire protection is a flat roof with
greenery. Because of the soil that is required
for planting and which should always be kept
moist as possible, fire does not have the
slightest chance. The same can be done with facade surfaces. Today designers call it horizontal and vertical gardens. In many large cities, high-rise buildings with a green facade are now being built.

So we can easily provide fire-resistant house structures in the shortest possible time in cooperation with a locally available precast concrete plant and a locally available assembly company. Architects and designers have to take care of the development of the construction and the design.

Should the fire brigade use water, this is no
problem for a UHPC construction. Since water
does not penetrate the UHPC construction, the
interior can be cleaned and re-used quickly and
easily. A complete interior renovation as with
wood and plaster constructions is not necessary.

Annotation:
The best fire protection doesn't help if you build
houses right next to trees. When houses are far
from something flammable like trees, the fire has enormous problems jumping over these areas without fire fodder. That is also the reason why firebreaks are laid in forests when there is a fire. Landscape architects can offer many ideas for this.

 

 

WPE DK International

Phone: 0049 176 601 73146
E-mail: info@wpe-dk.dk
Homepage: www.wpe-dk.com