Brick slip façades are becoming increasingly popular on residential developments, offering the appearance of traditional masonry while supporting modern construction methods, energy efficiency targets and project delivery requirements. However, the huge variation between different brick slip systems can create challenges when demonstrating façade fire safety performance. This makes it important to select cavity fire barrier solutions that have been specifically designed and tested for the application.
Brick slip systems originally emerged as a solution for masonry refurbishment projects where full depth brickwork was too heavy or too costly to replace like for like. However, in recent years, they have become a popular façade choice in their own right, providing a traditional brickwork finish which can be delivered with all the cost-, time- and performance benefits of modern rainscreen construction approaches. This has often led to systems being specified alongside standard horizontal partial fill ‘open state’ cavity barriers (OSCBs) and vertical full fill cavity barriers developed for rainscreen systems.
However, whilst brick slip systems can appear similar externally, the systems behind them can vary significantly. For example, some mechanically-fixed brick slip systems use a ‘clip in’ rail fix and others a ‘dovetail’ fix to retain the slim brick tiles. These can present different interfacing challenges. Some brick slip tiles also have recessed sections on the back, known as a “frog.” These create small gaps and uneven surfaces within the cavity, making it harder for standard cavity barriers to form a complete seal and preventing the spread of fire and smoke. Historically, installers have often relied on being able to resolve such issues onsite, cutting standard full fill barriers to match the corresponding profile. However, this approach is time-consuming, inconsistent, and often lacks supporting fire test evidence. This is a critical issue in today’s regulatory landscape, where demonstrating that façade systems have been designed, specified and installed correctly is now an important part of the compliance process.
Bespoke for brick slip
Selecting cavity barriers that have been purpose-designed and tested for use within popular brick slip system types can help provide the evidence needed to support building safety requirements and product specification decisions. Alongside the primary test data and third-party certification required for demonstrating compliance these may also be supported with bespoke technical advice and an array of supplementary test data that takes into consideration different factors such as rail types, substrates and pipe penetrations. Additionally, where test data may be lacking, some passive fire manufacturers with UKAS accredited in-house test facilities can work collaboratively with project teams to engineer their cavity barriers to overcome the fire safety, moisture egress and ventilation challenges presented by the individual characteristics of a specific system. This added data can provide greater confidence that passive fire protection has been considered as part of the façade system as a whole. This can help project teams manage risk, support approval processes and create stronger specification justifications.
It is also worth noting that application-specific cavity barrier solutions can also help streamline installation on site. Products designed to accommodate common brick slip system details can reduce the need for on-site cutting, modification and remedial works, supporting programme certainty while helping maintain installation quality. For example, project teams have found that vertical cavity barriers with a lamella core can be installed under increased compression and detailed accurately around interfaces using only basic tools. This means that there is no need to install intermittent intumescent strips that run vertically between each rail. This not only reduces the amount of material that needs to be specified and costed but also speeds up installation—enhancing the project efficiency benefits of brick slip systems.
They may also be suitable for use alongside other passive fire protection solutions from the same manufacturer, simplifying logistics and adhering to industry best practice of obtaining all firestopping solutions from a single source to ensure compatibility.
Safer brick slip developments
As brick slip façades continue to grow in popularity across residential developments, ensuring that passive fire protection has been properly considered remains essential. By selecting cavity barrier solutions that have been specifically developed and tested for the application, developers can improve confidence in compliance, reduce installation risk and help ensure the long-term safety and performance of the building envelope.
Learn more about Siderise’s solutions for brick slip façades.
For enquiries specifically relating to Ash & Lacy and Mechslip systems, please contact Siderise technical services at technical.services(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)siderise.com.