A key focus area of Australian compliance culture is fire protection, in which failure to comply with requirements may literally become a question of life and death. In the wake of numerous high profile fires both nationally and overseas, the construction industry is now more concerned than ever with meeting the stringent fire safety requirements set out in the NCC and Australian Standards. Baines Masonry has developed a new Fire & Acoustic Calculator to better equip builders, designers and contractors with their fire and acoustic compliance requirements.

Fire protection and Design

Designers must be mindful of their material selection: concrete masonry offers optimum fire protection as it contains flames, smoke, and deadly fumes for up to four hours to provide occupants with ample time to safely evacuate. Designers can significantly enhance the fire performance of their project simply by specifying concrete masonry construction and cladding products.

In addition to fire safety, today’s designers and specifiers are concerned with thermal and acoustic insulation. The increasing prevalence of high-density, multi-residential developments means that preventing noise spill between walls and floors is more critical than ever: insulating materials such as concrete masonry can contain sound and minimise its spread beyond the original source.

Beyond this, changing climates and increasingly extreme temperatures have heightened the demand for thermal insulation. Designers and specifiers are seeking lightweight materials that trap heat effectively and keep spaces cool in summer and warm in winter. Concrete masonry excels in this regard, offering building occupants enhanced thermal comfort in addition to lower energy consumption levels thanks to reduced reliance on heating and cooling systems. 

Baines Masonry Fire & Acoustic Calculator

Since 1982, Baines Masonry has led the Australian concrete industry in the design and manufacture of efficient, high performance, fully code compliant concrete products and systems. Thanks to years of experience at the forefront of the industry, the proudly family-owned company are closely attuned to the demands of contemporary construction and equipped with the knowledge and expertise to address these.

With their new Fire & Acoustic Calculator, Baines Masonry channel this knowledge and expertise into one simple web-based tool that takes the headache out of specification. Specifically designed to address concerns surrounding compliance, fire performance, and insulation, the Fire & Acoustic Calculator makes  selection of the correct product and compliance with the BCA easier than ever. The simple tool takes the guesswork out of specification and gives designers and specifiers the peace of mind that they are fully complying with industry requirements and significantly reducing their exposure to liability.

To use the tool, designers and specifiers simply enter a few simple design parameters that include the required wall type, installation environment, acoustic and fire insulation requirements, and the relevant BCA requirement. The Calculator then instantly provides a tailored shortlist of Baines Masonry products that meet the specified parameters and comply with the BCA requirements for use. The shortlist is also provided in printable PDF format, allowing the designer or specifier to retain a hard copy for reference or insertion into tender documents.

Click here to try it out!