MCM Industry Continues its Quest for High Performance and Safety
by Marcy Marro | March 1, 2021 12:00 am
Based solely on the number of buildings constructed with MCM in the United States, the most prevalent application is on buildings that are less than 50 feet above grade. The appearance and performance benefits make low-rise construction a very popular market for MCM. Code requirements, defined in the International Building Code (IBC), regulate the installation of MCM, and very few incidents have been recorded.
Cladding applications greater than 50 feet are required to meet the more robust performance criteria of NFPA 285, “Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components.” This test is not only about performance of the MCM product, but the performance of each wall component and the full wall assembly. Exposed to this large-scale fire, the overall assembly can be measured for fire performance against a set of criteria that has been used for over 20 years. This test is the closest thing to a real-world fire in the United States.
“It’s not just how the MCM sheet performs,” says Andy Williams, director of codes and standards for the Metal Construction Association (MCA). “All of the components of the cladding assembly must interact and perform together to limit flame spread and increase building safety.”
Many components make up the wall assembly, and fire growth can result from an individual material or a combination of materials used in the assembly. Certain types of insulation are another potential contributor that must be considered in the wall design. “As energy conservation moves more to the forefront of design, the entire wall must perform for both energy and fire requirements and remain safe,” says Williams. “We are often challenged to create a wall assembly that meets the requirements on both sides of this equation.”
When added to cladding and insulation, other elements such as an air cavity depth (behind the cladding for drainage), water and air resistant barriers, and various levels of opening protection increase the number of concerns for fire protection exponentially. The MCM industry continues to redesign cladding and work with other material suppliers in the industry to develop new and better assemblies that meet code requirements not only as individual products but as a complete assembly.
Architects and designers must remain aware of the building performance requirements and understand the importance of both testing and monitoring construction in the field to ensure that the wall construction is consistent with the way the tests were conducted. The MCM manufacturers and fabricators continue to provide design tools and education, which is a focus point for the MCA. The MCA is involved with many industry efforts to develop new tools and programs, such as Engineering Evaluations (i.e., Engineering Judgments) to determine the level of compliance required for specific projects and Building Code Development efforts such as the International Building Code (IBC) code change process (taking place for fire performance in 2021). Development of new performance criteria and updating/rewriting code such as the New York City Building Code (to be completed in 2021) are other areas where MCA is very active on behalf of the MCM industry.
The MCM industry remains at the forefront of product development as the construction world wrestles with issues ranging from new building permitting requirements to continued insurance coverage and safety of existing buildings with MCM cladding systems.
This industry needs more universal involvement from all the manufacturers, fabricators and suppliers to continue moving the MCM industry in the right direction. Accepting these challenges and continuing to correct issues moving forward will keep MCA and the MCM industry recognized as a viable metal facade option for the design and building community.
Tom Seitz is the executive director of the Metal Construction Association’s Metal Composites Material (MCM) Alliance. To learn more, visit www.metalconstruction.org.
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/mcm-industry-continues-its-quest-for-high-performance-and-safety/