When it comes to building, whether it’s for living or business purposes, one of the key elements is ensuring it’s as safe as possible. This applies to the creation of the building as much as it does to the final interiors.

However, this isn’t just something you simply want to do, it’s a legal requirement, meaning there are levels and standards you to have to meet.

Unfortunately, even though a fire is one of the biggest worries when it comes to a new building, there’s no such thing as making something 100% fireproof. However, there are ways to ensure a building is as fire resistant as possible.

Whether it’s a home or an office, here are our top materials to ensure Fire protection safety in buildings.

Stucco

This is a form of plaster that has been used over the years for structural and artist purposes. Made from a combination of Portland cement, sand and lime, this material is perfect for helping to stave off fires within buildings. Able to cover structural materials such as brick and wood, this sits as a one-inch thick barrier that’ll lend a one-hour rating to a firewall.

Gypsum

In order to get a good fire-resistant rating in a building, it often takes more than one material. That’s where this material comes in handy, as it sits under other structural materials, as the most commonly used fire-resistant interior finish. Also known more commonly as drywall, a Gypsum board will consist of two pieces of Gypsum in-between two sheets of paper. If you opt for type X gypsum board, it’ll be treated with additives to help to further improve its fire-resistant qualities. This is a very advanced piece of material, as the paper will burn slowly and won’t contribute to a fire, while the non-combustible core features chemically combined water, which turns into steam when affected by a fire, helping to slow the spread of heat through the board.

Concrete

It may sound obvious, but as one of the most common materials used when building, concrete is actually an excellent fire-resistant material. This is due to it being non-combustible and having a low thermal conductivity, which ultimately means that the load-bearing ability, and content structure, won’t be affected by fire for a long time, helping prevent the spread of fire. 

Specific Glass

A key component for any building, you’ll need windows. However, these can sometimes be a fire hazard. This is because they can break even before a fire hits them, shattering in the heat spread by the flames. If this happens, then it’ll be much easier for a fire to spread through the hole left by the window, and could even ignite flammable items inside the building before the fire gets in. That’s why specific fire-resistant windows have been created, such as dual-paned windows. These keep fires at bay for twice as long as regular windows, while heat-treated tempered glass is also four times more effective than regular glass.

Brick 

Due to being made in a fire kiln, bricks are highly fire-resistant, which is why they’re used within most buildings. It is worth noting that individual bricks are more fire resistant than a brick wall, which is down to them being held together by the less effective mortar. That said, brick is highly effective, achieving a one to four-hour fire-resistance rating, depending on the thickness and construction.