Fire protection - Ytong Compact 20

At the entrance to the city of Saint-Etienne, an extraordinary and ambitious urban project, designed by the agencies SUD Architectes, Atelier Rivat, and Studio Briand & Berthereau, was launched at the end of 2017: the Steel retail and leisure center. With its spectacular architecture and contemporary, graphic design, Steel aims to become a benchmark in urban planning by reinventing the city entrance. The construction site was delayed by the COVID-19 crisis, and its completion is scheduled for September 2020.
The project owner Apsys, winner of the competition organized by EPASE (Public Establishment for the Development of Saint-Etienne), is behind this bold project that combines 52 m000 of commercial space - with nearly 2 stores, restaurants and leisure activities - and 70 m37 of green spaces. Visible from the motorway ring road, thanks to its unique and gigantic recycled aluminum mesh roof that blends into the Saint-Etienne urban landscape, the future Steel shopping center aims to offer a unique living space. Designed with a landscaping and environmental approach, this project aims to be responsible in terms of energy consumption, with a target of insulating commercial spaces 000% higher than the current Thermal Regulations, and aims for environmental certifications such as BREEAM* Very Good (in design), BREEAM* In use (in operation) and the Biodiverticity label.

For this type of ERP, fire protection regulations are very demanding. They include specific construction measures to limit the spread of fire and smoke. Among the materials and technical solutions chosen for this exceptional project, Xella fire-resistant solutions were selected for the partitioning of the commercial units and technical rooms. The project's partner companies - Civez, Sopreco and Chenaud Bâtiment - who are accustomed to installing cellular concrete, favored the Ytong Compact 20 block. Its high fire performance, physical and thermal properties, lightness and ease of installation were decisive assets. No less than 550 m3, or nearly 2800 m2, of Ytong fire-resistant partition walls were installed in the various commercial areas of the Steel.

* (Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method)

Ytong fire walls
The choice of high fire performance

According to the very strict specifications of the Steel site in terms of safety, and to comply with fire regulations, for the partitioning of the various shops, 2H fire-resistant separating walls with heights of up to 8 m were required. Under the advice of the Xella technical department, the project managers opted for the Ytong Compact 20 block with EI240 fire resistance.
Thanks to its thermal properties, its excellent results in terms of fire resistance up to 16 m in height, it perfectly met the constraints of the site.

• The best reaction to fire

The Ytong Compact 20 block is classified A1 “non-combustible materials”. It will not fuel the fire and will limit the spread of flames. In addition, it does not release toxic fumes or gases, and does not deform under heat.

• The best fire resistance

Ytong Compact 20 aerated concrete limits temperature rise in rooms adjacent to:

30 ° C after 1h30
70 ° C after 4 hours

The advantages of lightness and ease of installation

On large-scale projects such as Steel, where the surfaces to be partitioned are very large, the choice of material is of great importance for the assembly of the walls. Easy to install, handle and cut, Ytong fire-resistant cellular concrete partition walls are a real time-saving solution. With 6,4 blocks per m2, they ensure faster installation.

Ytong blocks are among the lightest on the market. And the lightness of the material is crucial as Eric Chenaud of the Chenaud Bâtiment company points out: We worked on one of the stores in the Steel shopping center, installing 250 m2 of Ytong Compact 20. Its low weight (93,5 kg/m2) made it possible to meet the linear overload constraint of the dividing walls on the slabs. »

An environmental response

Steel is a project that is aiming for numerous certifications, such as BREEAM and the Biodivercity label. The Ytong Compact 20 fire-resistant partition wall fits perfectly with this approach, as it is a healthy material. Ytong Compact 20, whose FDES data sheet is available on the INIES database, is manufactured partly from recycled materials (up to 25%) in ISO 14001 certified production units.

A sustained presence of the Xella technical service

Present at every stage, from the prescription to the design office to site monitoring for implementation, the Xella technical service supported and guided the various stakeholders on this extraordinary project.
As Julie Correia, Sales Engineer, Xella, testifies: We worked with the project manager with our design office to define and validate with him the best technical solutions in terms of fire-resistant, thermal and mechanical performance according to the specifications. We also supported the partner companies Civez, Sopreco, Chenaud Bâtiment… on the technical and pricing offer so that they could develop the DCE (Business Consultation File) and respond as best as possible to the call for tenders. We were also there to ensure with them the site monitoring in the installation stages, so that the product is implemented according to the rules of the art. Finally, we were present for our distributor partners, to answer their questions. »

Xella fire protection solutions present in many prestigious references

The high technical, mechanical and environmental performance of Xella firebreak construction solutions have been decisive in many reference projects, as astonishing as they are prestigious.

Thus, nearly 4 m000 of Ytong Compact 2 partitioned the shops and restaurants of the Lillenium shopping center in Lille, 20 m8 of Ytong Compact 500 and Ytong Compact 2 dividing walls were installed in the Muse shopping center in Metz, 15 m20 of Ytong Compact 11 in the Open Sky shopping center in Plaisirs…

So many projects where fire resistance, ease of installation, lightness of the material and technical support have made the difference.

A wide range of fire protection solutions

For fire protection, Xella offers a range of high performance fire partitions and separating walls with numerous PVs from 1h30 to 4h and with a fire stability height of up to 16 m.

- Tile 7 and Tile 10 partitions

Masonry chained with:
- Ytong Compact 15/20
- Modulbloc 20

Reinforced masonry with:
- Ytong Compact 15/20 with Ytofor frame
- Maxibloc/Gigabloc 15/20 with HA10 steel frame

Definitions of values:
R = stability: period of time during which a building element continues to fulfill its load-bearing function and maintains its stability during a fire.
E = flame tightness: the period of time during which a building element remains flame, smoke and gas tight.
I = thermal insulation: the period of time during which the building element limits the temperature on the side not exposed to the fire, so that there is no spontaneous combustion in the non-burning space.

THE STEEL PROJECT
Location: Saint-Etienne (42)
Project owner: Apsys
Architects: SUD Architectes, Atelier Rivat
and Studio Briand & Berthereau
Project type: 52 m000 shopping and leisure center
Blocks used: Ytong Compact 20
Delivery date: last quarter of 2020

CHENAUD Building
3 Canal Alley - 42160 SAINT CYPRIEN
Tel: 04 77 55 38 12 - www.chenaud-batiment.fr