Fire protection with Viega system solutions
Munich, Germany, has an excellent reputation as a university and higher education centre. Now the Bavarian metropolis has become even more attractive for budding academics. "The Flag" boarding house opened its doors to provide comfortable limited-stay residence on 1 July 2016: It offers not only students, but also business people furnished lodgings with a comprehensive range of services.
One of the construction-related challenges of the project involved the supply shafts. "Space is money": Every square centimetre devoted to supply lines means less rental space. This economic argument had to be reconciled with fire regulations. For instance, if heating and drinking water pipelines have to share vertical ducts with plastic pipes for wastewater and ventilation pipes, minimum clearances of 200 millimetres normally have to be maintained.
Zero spacing – everywhere
With dimensions of precisely 715 x 350 millimetres, "The Flag" boarding house's supply duct is extremely narrow: It needs to accommodate a wastewater downpipe of size DN 100, a rainwater drain (DN 70), supply and return flow pipes for heating (DN 20), cold drinking water (DN 32), hot drinking water (DN 25), a ventilation pipe (140 mm) as well as electrical cables (90 mm).
Viega provided the solution: approved zero spacing between all the supply and waste pipelines. The reason: In view of the large number of piping and bulkhead systems, and the importance of fire protection measures, Viega has had all of its own piping systems, including the tailored fire protection insulation, examined for spacing requirements. This was also by way of comparison with most piping and ventilation systems commonly used in supply shafts. The practice-friendly result: All Viega piping systems can be used in any combination in vertical ducts and conducted through fire protection sections in walls with zero spacing. The approval certificate (P-2400/003/15-MPA BS) also allows the systems to be combined with all common drainage pipes made of plastic and cast iron, including their sealing systems.
For the planners and tradesmen working on "The Flag", that meant: a free choice of piping and sealing systems, plus knowing that all fire regulations are maintained.