The Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Façades and Fire Safety

How to achieve sustainability and safety

As the U.K. works towards the targets of the International Net Zero Government Initiative, environmentally sustainable façades will only become more commonplace, so it is crucial that the construction industry understands how to balance aesthetics, innovation and sustainability with adequate fire resistance.

What makes a façade sustainable?

There are many factors that contribute to the sustainability of a building. Its thermal efficiency, durability and recyclability; the carbon impact of transport and maintenance; and wastage during manufacturing all play a part. In this guide, we’ll focus on the environmental impact that façades have, as well as define a sustainable façade as a low-carbon product that can easily be recycled or reused at the end of a building’s life cycle.

Depending on the type of façade system, environmentally sustainable façades can help reduce air pollution, improve a building’s thermal performance, boost biodiversity and promote well-being.

Facades and fire safety

This guide is written to help you understand the impact environmentally sustainable façades can have on the fire safety of a building. It covers the regulatory context and the technical standards, testing, inspection and certification processes that help promote trust in environmentally sustainable façades. It focuses on England in particular, but parts of the new fire safety regime also apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Fire safety gaps in environmentally sustainable façades

In addition to explaining the regulatory context and covering examples of different types of environmentally sustainable façades, this guide will talk about the intersection of innovation and regulation and how building professionals can address any fire safety gaps as they think about and plan for creating sustainable façades.

UL Solutions helps inspire confidence

UL Solutions is stepping up to meet the rising demand for environmentally sustainable façade testing.

Our building envelope and façade performance testing services help industries enhance the quality of a building’s envelope and façade, mitigate risks with building envelope components, and demonstrate that products meet project specifications and regulatory requirements.