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 | | DESIGNERS OVERLOOKING KEY STANDARD UNDER THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DESIGN | | | Jones of Oswestry | | 27/10/2006 | | | More rigorous assessment of product durability under BS7543 may lead designers to specify higher specifications of component protection, such as galvanised zinc coatings, in areas of greater atmospheric corrosivity.
Some designers are failing their obligations to design more sustainably by overlooking a key British Standard on component durability, says the lintel and access cover specialist, Jones of Oswestry.
BS 7543:2003 (Guide to durability of buildings and building elements, products and components) was revised in 2004 to help designers to evaluate the service life potential of products and their protective coatings more accurately.
It asks designers to account for the possible deteriorating effects of a range of agents on the performance of a building component. This notably includes prevailing climactic and atmospheric conditions, universally present factors affecting product performance.
Reinforced
BS EN 845-2:2003 (Specification for ancillary components for masonry Part 2: Lintels) reinforced this new emphasis on durability when it came into effect last year. In line with BS 7543, it also requires designers to factor in the effects of local atmospheric corrosivity when specifying suitable lintels and corrosion protection.
But in a recent telephone survey of 100 architects and engineers, Jones of Oswestry found that more than half had not adjusted their specifying procedures in response to the BS7543 revisions, or were unaware of them.
Tip of the iceberg Pat Murphy, Technical Manager at Jones of Oswestry said: "Our initial survey findings may well be the tip of the iceberg. As far as we are concerned, BS 7543 is as important to lintel specifying as the lintel standard BS EN845 for an industry that is now tasked with using Whole Life Costings as a tool in sustainable design. Designers must be able to demonstrate how long a component is likely to last in a given location subject to the prevailing atmospheric conditions. And they may need to increase the product's protection system to meet the required design life in that location."
He added: "We have introduced a RIBA CPD seminar to inform specifiers about changes in standards affecting lintel longevity. Demand is high because specifiers are anxious to keep up-to-date with issues of component durability and their new responsibilities under BS7543 and BS EN845 to ensure products are fit for purpose."
The seminar is supported by an online technical advice service, which is also busy with enquiries about product protection.
Adjust product protection
Jones of Oswestry has developed different specifications of galvanised protection to meet design life criteria of 30, 60 and 120 years (stated in BS7543) in relation to UK location. The company offers three different specifications of post-galvanised protection: 70, 100 or 140 microns. This allows the designer to adjust product protection to achieve required service life needs in the five areas of different atmospheric corrosivity identified in the UK.
The five categories of atmospheric corrosivity are defined on the Galvanizer's Association Zinc Millennium Map of UK atmospheric corrosivity. The Millennium Map incorporates data issued by MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), another source for evaluating climactic/atmospheric agents cited in BS 7543: 2003, section A.6.3.
Further specifying data on compliant product durability is given in Jones's new lintel manual which includes reproduced copies of the Millennium Map, and the specifying standards BS 7543 and BS EN845. | |
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