Att skydda kulturhistoriskt värdefulla byggnader mot brand

It does not take long for a fire to ruin a building and its contents. Fire is always a threat to our buildings and the consequences can be disastrous, both in terms of human lives and economical loss. When it comes to heritage buildings, a fire can also result in the loss of historical values and part of our cultural heritage. However, it is not only fires that can cause damage to these types of buildings, but also inappropriate fire-protection measures. Hence, it is essential that fire-protection of heritage buildings is done in such a way that does not destroy the values that it is meant to protect. In order to prevent fires in heritage buildings statistical information can be used to analyze the frequency of fires and the use of such buildings, and the causes of fires. This report shows a lack of complete and reliable statistics in this area. The available statistics nevertheless show that most fires in heritage buildings are due to technical failures or unknown causes. Furthermore, it can be gathered that fires are most frequent in industry buildings, school buildings and eldercare buildings. Older buildings often do not meet current fire protection requirements and regulations. Coupled with the wish to avoid modifications as far as possible, this results in problems when heritage buildings are to be used for different purposes. Common problems are: Large vertical openings, as open grand staircases rising up several floors Combustible constructions and linings – wood is commonly used Insufficient or non-existent compartmentalization Insufficient emergency exits – e.g. too few, too narrow, too long Combustible materials and furnishings Doors that does not fulfill present building regulations, but are important to preserve From a number of interviews carried out, along with a literature review and a case study, it can be concluded that it is difficult to generalize the current priorities for integrated and discrete or reversible and visible fire-protection. A great deal is personal opinions and perceptions. Overall, reversible installations not involving manipulation of the building and that can be removed if the business is changed are prioritized, even if the consequence is a more visible fire-protection. Often, original doors and surface layers and coatings are regarded important to preserve. In order to avoid certain interventions in a building, alternative solutions should be investigated. However, solutions to one problem can lead to other problems. Installing an automatic sprinkler system can be a solution, but is also affecting the building. The fire resistance rating on wood linings and doors can be upgraded with fire retardant paints. If these kinds of products are to be used, it is important to verify whether and how the products have been tested and, if possible, use products that have a Swedish technical approval. Cone calorimeter tests and one SBI test were carried out. Painted and untreated wood panels with and without fire retardant coating and particle board with fire retardant coating were tested. The results show that the fire retardant treated panel showed shorter time to ignition but lower heat release rate. Hence the fire growth was lower than for the panels without fire retardant paint. The experiments also showed that if the fire retardant coating was used on untreated particle board, the particle board got the fire resistance rating B, and thus a better fire rating than if it had been untreated (rating D). The indicated fire rating for the panel painted with three coats of regular paint was E or worse. Was the same panel also treated with fire retardant coating, the fire rating was improved to D, but not to B as the paint classification indicated. It can be concluded that some fire retardant coatings are of doubtful value as protection method on old wood with existing paintValiderat; 20110607 (anonymous