Cristolite – the evolution of lightweight stone

With the governments updated fire regulations, Cristofoli has responded with its latest lightweight stone product. Following extensive development and testing, we are proud to announce a panel that answers the needs of today’s architects. Meet Cristolite.

 

A shift in fire regulations

Following the Grenfell tragedy, sweeping changes were made to UK fire regulations. Our regulations follow the European fire classification system, which informs architects on choosing suitable cladding materials. It rates products into 7 categories from A1 through to F, with the A1 class ranked highest providing no contribution to fire. Previous regulations allowed materials with some combustibility to be used on high rise buildings, subject to desktop studies or fullscale facade tests. This is no longer the case:

Government regulations now enforce that each cladding product on a building over 18m must be classified as A2:s1:d0. At minimum products cannot significantly contribute to fire load and fire growth in a fully developed fire. They also cannot contribute in terms of smoke (class s1) and produce no flaming droplets in case of a fire (d0).

 

Euroclass: A2:s1:d0

Achieving an A2:s1:d0 classification is no easy task, especially in the composite world. Modern composites use different combinations of reinforcement and glueing systems to achieve the needed mechanical performances. However, this comes with tradeoffs. Large gains in strength-to-weight typically come at the cost of highly flammable epoxy systems, and to mitigate this to an A2 standard is close to impossible. Despite this, Cristofoli has designed a panel superior to our lightweight honeycomb stone. Not only does it meet all the needed mechanical properties, but its also Euroclass classified to A2:s1:d0.

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