Berghaus Amsterdam: Fire safety of Amsterdam icon

In the Berghaus project in Amsterdam, Buro Brandbeheersing's expertise comes into its own. Commissioned by contractor BAM, the specialist in fire-resistant seals, cladding and spray painting is realizing both the fire-resistant steel cladding and fire-resistant penetrations, ensuring the stability of the iconic building in the event of a fire for at least 120 minutes. It also prevents fire, smoke and toxic gases from spreading from one compartment to another, giving residents, employees and visitors time to escape safely in the event of an emergency.

Berghaus Amsterdam consists of 288 homes, 20,813 m2 of office space, 2,797 m2 of retail space, restaurants, bars and an underground parking garage, for which Buro Brandbeheersing is providing the fire-resistant steel cladding and fire-resistant penetrations. "Exactly according to the standards and according to a flexible schedule, taking into account all safety regulations of VCA and SCL light step 3, for which we were recently certified," says Lazar Soffner, commercial employee at Buro Brandbeheersing. "To ensure the fire safety of the building, the main steel supporting structure can be fireproof clad or coated. In this project, fire-resistant cladding with a protection of up to 120 minutes was chosen."

Fire-resistant penetrations

To ensure that penetrations of electrical cables, cable ducts, sewer pipes, water pipes and air ducts, for example, do not negatively affect the fire and smoke resistance of the fire separations in Berghaus, Buro Brandbeheersing applies tested solutions for this. "From cuffs to hard pressed rock wool, sealants and pastes," says Oscar Schouten, Account Manager at Buro Brandbeheersing. "Here we work exclusively with certified products that comply with the NEN 1366-1 and NEN 1366-3 standards." Where necessary or desirable, suggestions for improvement are made. As an example, he mentions the bathrooms, where fire dampers were originally to be installed. "By moving the fire dampers to the technical areas, unsightly installation hatches in the fixed bathroom ceilings are avoided and the dampers remain accessible at all times for inspection and operation."

Safety and quality assurance

To bundle the evidence for project Berghaus, Buro Brandbeheersing uses Ed Controls building software, says Schouten. "In the digital floor plans, all penetrations are visualized, including photographs of the situation before and after the fireproofing measures as well as the corresponding certifications. The resulting logbook is handed over to BAM upon completion."