Siderise Updates Its Masonry Cavity Barrier And Firestop Range With Pioneering Open State Solutions

Siderise has launched three new Masonry open state cavity barrier products for 25 and 50mm air-gaps. The fire resistance performance of the three new additions is IFC certified (IFCC), alongside the existing Siderise EWI Open State Cavity Barrier and Firestops, offering peace of mind that they are suitably tested and independently audited.

 The three new products that have been introduced are:

• EW25-FS60 with a 1-hour fire resistance (E 60 I 60) for air gaps up to 25mm. 

• EW50-CB30 with a 30-minute fire resistance (E 30 I 30) for air gaps up to 50mm. 

• EW50-FS60 with a 1-hour fire resistance (E 60 I 60) for air gaps up to 50mm. 

  
  

The complete range is available with 30-, 60- and 120-minute fire resistance performance ratings for voids up to 400mm and all products have been tested in accordance with the principles of the ASFP Technical Guidance Document TGD 19— the widely accepted standard for testing intumescent cavity barriers. Siderise are proud to have helped pioneer these types of open state cavity barriers as an effective compartmentation measure.

 Siderise open state cavity barrier products feature an integral heat activated intumescent strip that rapidly expands in the event of a fire to seal the cavity, which is particularly beneficial for overcoming the compartmentation challenges presented by inconsistent cavity widths that result from uneven, decorative or stepped brickwork.

 Another distinctive feature of Siderise EWI Open State Cavity Barrier and Firestops is that they are mechanically retained using full penetration brackets with bent tails for secure ‘positive’ retention. This fixing method helps prevent them from shifting forward and slipping off, which could otherwise obstruct ventilation and drainage in the cavity increasing the risk of moisture build-up, and could also result in the formation of unprotected gaps between the substrate and barrier exacerbating fire risk. Furthermore, in recognition of market demand, EWI products can potentially reduce the volume of cavity trays needed.

The Siderise EWI Open State Cavity Barrier and Firestop range is part of a complete suite of engineered Masonry passive fire protection and moisture management solutions for masonry external wall applications. www.siderise.com

Firefly® Phoenix Continues To Protect Home Bargains Chain

As value for money makes the Home Bargains brand an increasingly popular choice with price conscious shoppers, the national retailer is continuing to increase its coverage by building new stores in locations such as Camborne in Cornwall, with products from the FIREFLY® range repeatedly being included in the specification to help ensure the safety of staff and customers.  As with many of its outlets, the existing 9,150sq ft warehouse and sales floor on the Camborne Retail Park is being refurbished by Oakhurst (Southport) Ltd. with WPL Consulting filling the role of project architect. 

The Phoenix Vertical, Collaroll and ancillary FIREFLY® products have been used to create a semi-permanent fire barrier that is suspended from the underside of the pitched, metal decked roof. Installation of the 60- minute rated fire curtain and smoke barrier was carried out by sub-contractor S R Shopfitting over a period of just a couple of days in early July, with the new Home Bargains outlet scheduled for its official opening on August 22nd. Working from hydraulic platforms, the lightweight Phoenix fire barrier was fixed to sections of steel angle bolted onto the roof members, with all overlaps sealed using FIREFLY® High Temperature Adhesive, while butt joints were fixed using stainless steel staples. 

While the Collaroll was used to wrap the high-level steel beams, the manufacturer’s ablative batts – introduced into the range last year to assist with tasks like creating protected zones – fill voids beneath the soffit level. The Site Manager for Oakhurst, Kerry Humphrey’s, commented: “Along with a number of S R Shopfitting’s operatives, I have been on the FIREFLY® training course at its Rochdale premises and consider the systems to be far easier to install than the previous solution, which involved installing quite bulky sections of rock mineral wool which, even for those not directly involved with the work, tended to make you itch quite badly.  The Phoenix and other products, by contrast are light to handle and easy to fix.  It’s a brilliant system.”

“In respect of the Home Bargains stores we’ve been involved on, the fire requirements vary slightly between England and Scotland, where the regulation is for a full fire and smoke barrier and we know FIREFLY® will provide any special details we need for new jobs.  With the barrier now installed by SR Shopfitting, the internal construction will continue so that the Phoenix terminates on top of the ceiling structure.  Everything is going well and we are on schedule to handover the building on the 21st.” 

Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.  www.tbafirefly.com 

Siderise Champions Collaboration To Deliver Passive Fire Solution For New Birmingham Student Accommodation

Siderise has partnered with Ash & Lacy to provide a tested passive fire protection solution for the NaturAL X Brick Cladding System being installed on Vita Student’s latest accommodation development on the historic Gough Street and Suffolk Street intersection in Birmingham.

Vita Student Gough Street has been built to meet the increasing demand for purpose-built student accommodation across Birmingham. Due to complete in summer 2026, it will provide high-quality apartments and community spaces set across 10 and 29-storey tower blocks. To blend the new high-rise towers into the existing architecture in the area, their detailed elevations are completed with a masonry brick finish — punctuated with lengths of curtain wall to provide daylighting.

For the masonry elements, the project team chose to use Ash & Lacy’s NaturAL X Brick Cladding System — a lightweight, mechanically-fixed brick cladding system — over traditional approaches. This allowed for the durability and timeless aesthetic appeal of brick whilst delivering the cost-, time-, labour-, and space-saving benefits of rainscreen façades. To ensure these façades delivered the necessary passive fire protection to both comply with the regulations and deliver a safe building for future occupiers, Siderise was approached to submit proposals for a solution that could demonstrably meet the project requirements for a 2-hour fire integrity rating.

Both Siderise’s RH Horizontal and RV Vertical Cavity Barriers have been re-engineered specifically for mechanically fixed ventilated brick slip cladding system configurations. To confirm compatibility with the NaturAL X System, Siderise undertook project-specific fire resistance testing at its Innovation Centre in Maesteg to several relevant standards using a representative build-up. The Siderise passive fire protection system achieved an E120 and I60 fire resistance rating, which exceeded competitor product performance, achieving the demands of the specification. For the curtain wall elements, Siderise CW-FS120 Firestop was also specified to provide a 2-hour fire resistance at the perimeter movement joint and ensure complete compartmentation throughout the building.  

This combination of the NaturAL X Brick Cladding System with Siderise RH25 and RV25 Brick Slip Cavity Barriers helped to achieve a quick, methodical build process on the project. The Lamella core of RV25 Vertical Cavity Barriers has been tested to demonstrate that it can be used under increased compression— meaning that there has been no need to install intumescent pads running vertically between each rail. In addition to saving material costs, this helps to speed up the installation process, thus making the most of brick slip’s efficiency.  

Siderise Site Services provided regular support to the installation teams, delivering product installation training and benchmark installations. This was followed up with regular onsite inspections to ensure the CW-FS120 Firestop, and RH25 Horizontal and RV25 Vertical Cavity Barriers were installed in line with recommendations and the tested configuration.  

For more information, visit www.siderise.com or follow Siderise on LinkedIn.