Nullifire recommended a water-based intumescent coating product from the SC 700 Series to provide fire protection to the Global Change Institute's Living Building located at the University of Queensland.
Architecturally designed to consume fewer resources than comparable structures, the GCI Living Building used only sustainable and low environmentally impacting products during the construction phase. Builder McNab was focussed on specifying products that not only delivered superior performance, but also minimised the environmental impact.
The beautiful atrium in the building featured a large number of supporting steel columns, all of which required fire protection as per BCA regulations. Having researched products to provide protection to the structural steel elements, the builder chose a water-based intumescent from Nullifire capable of achieving two hours of fire protection.
Nullifire S707-120 was specified for the project for a number of reasons: It has a low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) rating; it can be applied on site as it has low odour and low overspray, and is easily contained; and it is compatible with a number of aesthetic top coats. For the GCI building, a water-based urethane coating was chosen for its UV stability on beams exposed to the elements.
The GCI Living Building has won many awards, including Steel Excellence in Buildings - Large Projects (2014).
To date, Nullifire has been specified in a number of Australian university projects including: Queensland University Advanced Engineering; University of Western Sydney UWS Werrington; and University of Central Queensland Rockhampton.
