Hebden Bridge Library was flooded in 2012. Following the refurbishment just 4 years earlier the building was a complete disaster. Thanks to the professional assessment of the architect who specified cast epoxy fire protection to the feature columns, the fire protection was not affected. Take a close look at the fire protection and you will find that only superficial decorative work was required to put the columns back to their former glory.
Sealing the casting to the concrete floor meant that water ingress through to the steel was prevented and therefore a strip down of this secondary cladding was avoided.
The black finish Using Interthane 870 by International Paint was further modified to give a semi concrete texture in keeping with the age of the building.
Epoxy intumescent was designed/invented to withstand the harsh condition of the off-shore industry. The migration to general construction came about by the capability of the product to withstand water impact and cascading rainfall. Epoxy intumescents generally meet the environmental standard of C5 Marine (EN ISO 12944-2 1998). Is it likely that any other secondary cladding would need to be replaced when met with such invasive conditions as a flood?
