ROCKWOOL issues White Paper to support fire safety of multifunctional roofs

The document is aimed at assisting specifiers and roof contractors to consider and plan for possible fire risks arising from flat roofs being used as multifunctional spaces for a variety of social and practical applications, duly highlighting, for example, the increasing number of solar energy installations.

‘Flat Roofs: The Functional Fifth Façade’ explores the fire safety implications of modern multifunctional roofs and outlines Best Practice methodologies for identifying and mitigating the risks. It also explains the role of the guidance provided in approved documents, among them Approved Document B pertaining to fire safety, and examines potential limitations of such advice for non-standard flat roof circumstances and scenarios.

Changing times

“While the use of flat roofs as functional spaces is not a new concept,” explained Lisa Stephens, product manager for the building envelope at ROCKWOOL UK, “the practice has become more and more popular in recent years, and notably so in increasingly crowded urban areas. Now, flat roofs don’t just house plant and building services, but also energy efficiency-focused infrastructure and social spaces.”

With the increasing complexity of the flat roof space in mind, this White Paper addresses the risks associated with social and commercial uses of flat roofs, considering implications such as greater footfall and the impact of penetrations from building services and cabling on compartmentation and fire resistance.

Given that the market for solar energy growing rapidly in the UK and Europe, ‘Flat Roofs: The Functional Fifth Façade’ also places a specific focus on the lack of dedicated guidance for solar panels despite evidence that their presence may increase fire risk.

Responsible choices

“The information contained in the White Paper will help those involved in the design and installation of flat roofs to make responsible choices when selecting materials to enable a modern flat roof to be multifunctional, safe and long-lasting,” continued Stephens. “It offers practical advice to simplify specification, while going above and beyond the legislative requirements.”

*For more information and to download the ROCKWOOL White Paper visit https://rockwool.link/ffpr