Newman Catholic College is a co-educational Catholic secondary college co-located with James Cook University at Smithfield, opening in 2022. It is the newest secondary college in the Far North Queensland region and the first Catholic school in Australia located within a university precinct.
Clients needs
Specifying for buildings located in the wet tropics is a rigorous process, as they need to be equipped to endure unpredictable conditions and extreme wind loads Far North Queensland has to offer. The job has Ultimate Limit State (ULS) pressures of up to 7kPa on the 4th storey.
The project needs to weatherproof the external building envelope to meet the requirements:
● External Cladding Rigid Class 1 Vapour Barrier
● The development is multi-storey and has Ultimate Limit State pressures of up to 7 kPa on the 4th story.
● NCC Volume 1 and 2, DtS Non-combustible requirements
● Fire resisting building systems include:
- Sheet Metal Roof
- Lightweight Clad External Facades
- Drained Cavity Wall construction
Approach
The project requirements were addressed via the careful selection of materials for specification to meet and exceed the design criteria, which paid particular attention to:
Wind Loads
● External wall studs are designed to withstand wind pressures calculated as a combination of external and internal forces, with all local pressure, and other applicable factors applied accordingly and;
● External net design wind pressures were calculated in accordance with AS/NZS 1170.2:2011 ‘Wind Actions’
● Seismic Loads were calculated in accordance with AS 1170.4 ‘Earthquake actions in Australia’
● Deflection Criteria were adopted for external wall framing
● Particular attention shall be given to fastener requirements in external cladding applications.
Design Specification
Ametalin FireSark® The Class 1 - Vapour Barrier was specified for application to the construction framework.
The Benefits
FireSark® exceeds the project’s requirements for Ultimate Limit State (ULS) pressures. The ULS test report FireSark® achieves 8.0 kPA, which is equivalent to 80 tonnes of positive and negative resistance for endurance to high wind loads, water ingress, and, I imagine falling limbs and debris in cyclonic weather events.
FireSark® was the versatile solution offering the benefits of being both Air and Smoke Barrier, which is critical for fire safety, aiding and assisting building occupants’ safer passage in an emergency.
With a UV exposure of up to 180 days, we didn’t have to worry about delays and longer build times due to delays in delivering other building materials.
Significant cost savings were made by using FireSark® instead of a rigid air barrier and meeting the project requirements. Time was also saved by a faster installation of the product.
FireSark® ticked all the boxes for compliance and installation into Non-combustible constructions, offering a secondary barrier to weatherproofing and managing condensation risk. It is also a reflective Air Barrier, performing as both a radiant barrier and Air Barrier, which assists in delivering greener thermal performance and energy efficiency.
Manufactured in Adelaide, Ametalin manufactures roof and wall membranes for all Australian climate zones, emphasising moisture control to protect against condensation and the weather.
Results
Newman Catholic College is a new state of the art facility for which FireSark® delivers an exceptional, compliant, efficient and cost effective solution. exceeds the projects requirements for use in multi-storey non-combustible construtions.
Dual purpose suitable for both roof and facade installations. Delivering the ultimate fire protection and condensation management for the relevant ABCB Climate Zone whilst delivering optimal performance, vapour management and energy efficiency to meet the NetZero Ready objectives.
Building systems for thermal comfort, moisture management and energy efficiency.
TPG Architects: Bryant Building
Contractors: Ametalin
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