MBMA Announces New UL Design W404 Exterior Fire Rated Wall Assembly Listing

CLEVELAND, OH, March 24, 2011

http://www.mbma.com: The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces a new fire wall listing. The intent of the test program was to develop a new fire resistance-rated, non-load-bearing metal building wall assembly. Tests conducted at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) last October achieved a one-hour rating.
The listing can be found in the UL Fire Resistance Directory as UL Design W404. It complements the 12 existing UL-rated assemblies already in use for metal building systems and offers building contractors a simplified construction alternative that offers both fire-resistive and energy-efficient options. The ability of the wall assembly to meet current and future energy needs is significant, since today's energy savings requirements change the way buildings are constructed—particularly when they must address the upcoming green building codes and other high-performance standards. The new wall design includes several variations that will meet future energy codes by including a broad range of blanket and/or rigid board insulation options.
The new UL Design W404 consists of an exterior wall assembly that is constructed of the most common metal building structural components. The exterior metal cladding and interior sides were both subjected to separate one-hour fire tests, as well as hose stream tests immediately following each burn. The fire tests determined the UL rating, or the amount of time that the assembly would hold up during a significant fire event.
"The new assembly is an important component of our long-term MBMA strategic goal," says Chuck Haslebacher, MBMA chairman. "We intend to increase market share by providing a portfolio of fire-resistance ratings that allow metal buildings to compete in the markets where these fire ratings are often necessary."
The fire resistance design listings enable architects and designers to use metal buildings for higher occupancy commercial, institutional, and governmental uses and can increase allowable floor area. "These ratings are invaluable in situations where the proposed building is situated close to another building or a lot line, in which case the codes can mandate fire rated construction," he adds.
Haslebacher says that one major advantage of this new listing is that all the fire protection is installed on the interior of the wall. "This makes the new design ideal for retrofitting an existing metal building and for new construction," he says. "Having all the gypsum board on the interior greatly reduces interference with other trades on the jobsite."
The fire endurance test was conducted in accordance with the standard: Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, ANSI/UL 263 (ASTM E 119) 13th Edition. The MBMA research team built an exterior wall assembly using common metal building wall framing and light-gauge steel elements that supported one exterior metal panel and two interior layers of gypsum board. The structural supports were arranged to optimize the wall framing and reflect the most common spacing of the horizontal wall girts.
The 12 existing UL-rated assemblies are explained in detail in MBMA's Fire Resistance Design Guide for Metal Building Systems, available at http://www.mbma.com/bookstore. MBMA commissioned this design guide to consolidate current information on fire-resistance construction practices for metal building systems. Since most commercial metal buildings today require some level of active or passive fire resistance, this guide is a practical resource for building owners, architects, specifiers, contractors, builders and metal building manufacturers. It includes both broad background information for practitioners not familiar with the subject, as well as advanced guidance and specifications for builders and technical users. In addition, many research resources can be accessed via MBMA's website, http://www.mbma.com.
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MBMA has served metal building systems manufacturers and suppliers for 54 years. Its membership represents more than $1.6 billion in annual steel shipments and accounts for approximately 39% of the total non-residential low-rise construction market in the United States. MBMA provides engineering leadership through the many research programs that it sponsors annually, often in coordination with major universities and engineering schools throughout North America. This research is used to improve the performance, efficiency and quality of metal building systems and to elevate the technology used to produce them.

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