4 National Circuit is a state-of-the-art office building in Canberra, ACT, featuring six levels of workspace in each of the east and west wings. The aesthetic design of each building includes a void similar to an atrium, which interconnects the two wings. This allows for introducing more natural light into the building and increasing the opportunity for people to interact and share ideas. These features of the building add favourably to the 5 Star Green Office Design v3 target achievement for the project.
Challenge
As the six levels are interconnected through the void, the large floor area and volume created means that the building is required to meet the atrium provisions in Part G of the BCA. This is very costly and restrictive in design.
Greene Fire solution
By incorporating Coopers FireMaster® NVS™ horizontal fire curtain barriers on levels 2 and 4, the voids are able to be closed in fire mode. This reduces the compartment size to within the BCA requirements for Type A construction of not more than two interconnected floors, a floor area of less than 8,000m² and office volume less than 48,000m³. This also means that the building does not have an atrium in fire mode.
Two 9m x 17m NVS models were installed in the west building. These are the largest horizontal fire curtains installed in the world with No Visible Supports and achieve an FRL of -/120/-.
Key benefits for this project:
- NVS™ – No Visible Supports within the atrium void
- Cost savings on atrium construction requirements
- Cheaper solution than vertical fire curtains on multiple floors
- Reduced maintenance costs with less curtains and no supports in the void
- Allows points for Green Star ratings
- Lightweight construction does not require structural steel for support
Project details
Project: 4 National Circuit, ACT
Contractor: Lend Lease
Architect: Fender Katsalidis
Fire Engineer: Arup
Application: Atrium
Product: FireMaster® NVS™ horizontal fire curtain barriers
