Warm Roofs and NZBC Protection from Fire

In late 2013, Government changes to the Protection from Fire clause(s) of the New Zealand Building Code deemed it mandatory for the foam component of insulated roof assemblies to be tested to demonstrate compliance to their new standards. Before going any further, the objectives of the current code for the Protection from Fire are as follows:

Safeguard people from an unacceptable risk of injury or illness caused by fire
Protect other property from damage caused by fire and;
Facilitate fire-fighting and rescue operations

Viking Roofspec’s Warm Roof assembly incorporates polyisocyanurate insulation (rigid foam panels) installed on the substrate ie: on the outside of the building.

Rigid foam is now required to pass two lab tests: (i) AC1366 Flame Propagation – setting fire to core samples of foam to see how long they take to go out and (ii) ISO9705 –‘Room Test’ – lighting a fire inside a box made of foam installed on the outside of a steel tray substrate, to test a number of characteristics such as spread of flame.

With Kingspan Therma TR27 polyiso Insulation demonstrating the highest possible standards from these tests, along with Viking Roofspec — a market leader in warm Roof materials supply who operates by the mantra of continuous improvement (better than yesterday) — they formed a strong partnership in the supply of compliant components for Viking’s warm roof system.

Accordingly, Viking’s Warm Roof system — using TR27 Polyiso board, is one of the industry’s few systems to have achieved a Group 1-S Fire Rating from this testing, which is the highest possible rating in the industry.

Compliance is just one facet; it's mostly about safety. It’s paramount when specifying building materials that the safety of the building inhabitants is the number one priority. When it comes to fire, what more appropriate system could be specified, than one with a Group 1-S fire rating such as Viking’s Warmroof and WarmSpan systems?

WarmRoof System

Viking Roofspec

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The most commonly accepted definition of a warm roof (for low slope roofs) is 'a roof where the insulation is installed on top of the roof structure' i.e.

NZ-Owned Business

The Viking WarmRoof System has been appraised for use as an insulating roof on buildings within the following scope:

the scope limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, paragraph 1.1 with regards to building height and maximum floor plan areas; and,
on limited access flat roofs with concrete, plywood or steel structural decks subject to specific structural design; and,
with roofs constructed to drain water to gutters and drainage outlets complying with the NZBC; and,
with roofs constructed to suitable falls (refer paragraph 15.3 and 15.4 of the Viking Warm Roof BRANZ Appraisal); and,
with no integral roof gardens; and,
situated in NZS 3604 Building Wind Zones, up to, and including Extra High

The Viking WarmRoof System has also been appraised for durability and thermal performance as an insulated roofing system on buildings that are the subject of specific design with no building height restriction. Building designers are responsible for the building design and for the incorporation of the Viking WarmRoof System into their design in accordance with the declared properties and instructions of Viking Roofspec.

Clause B1 STRUCTURE: Performance B1.3.1. The Viking WarmRoof System meets this requirement.
Clause B2 DURABILITY: Performance B2.3.1 (b), 15 years. The Viking WarmRoof System meets this requirement. See paragraph 10.1 of the Viking WarmRoof BRANZ Appraisal.
Clause E2 EXTERNAL MOISTURE: Performance E2.3.1 and E2.3.2. The Viking WarmRoof System meets these requirements. See paragraphs 15.1 — 15.9 of the Viking Warm Roof BRANZ Appraisal.
Clause F2 HAZARDOUS BUILDING MATERIALS: Performance F2.3.1. The Viking WarmRoof System meets this requirement and will not present a health hazard to people.
Clause H1 ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Performance H1.3.1 (a). The Viking WarmRoof System will contribute to meeting this requirement. See paragraph 14.1 of the Viking WarmRoof BRANZ Appraisal.
Clause C/VM2 FIRE PERFORMANCE (of wall and ceiling linings) — ISO9705, Group 1S = highest possible rating.

BRANZ Appraised

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