From fire doors to firewalls
Fire-related incidents across Europe are in decline, with fatalities dropping 65 % over the past 30 years despite an ageing population and an increase in the use of combustible materials(opens in new window). However, there are still over 5 000 fires every day in the EU, resulting in 70 000 hospital visits per year(opens in new window). The EU’s GUARDIAN project, hosted by Italian interior door designer Lualdi(opens in new window), hoped to address this issue with an innovative new door design. “We were trying to create a product that upgrades the fire resistance and acoustic performance of the door as a standard feature,” says project coordinator Pierluigi Lualdi. “Currently only public buildings such as hotels, schools and hospitals have these kinds of doors.” Lualdi hoped to develop a unique wood foam to replace the solid wood or hollow cores found in typical doors. The foam, made from a biodegradable mix of chestnut and walnut tannins, would allow any size and shape of core to be filled as needed while boosting fire resistance. “Currently we have around 30 core thicknesses which we have to stock, move and manage in the construction process. This project set out to see if a foam-based core could reduce the proliferation of materials, space and non-productive activities,” adds Lualdi. Unfortunately, the foam core could not offer the mechanical parameters needed to make it a viable replacement for solid and hollow cores. “Its density was not very high, and this created issues during the production process, such as sanding and pressing,” he explains. In addition, the chemical binder used in the foam diminished the ecological benefits of the filler, ultimately making it a less environmentally friendly option than traditional recycled card honeycomb cores. The work was supported by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. “The funding was important to open this research channel, which we needed to fully investigate. Now we know we need to shift our focus to developing the second strand of the GUARDIAN feasibility study, for doors that are connected to the Internet of Things.” His team have sketched out 120 scenarios that could benefit from this connectivity, such as controlling for light, privacy and temperature requirements, as well as responding to the internal environment. “When you start down a road in one direction, sometimes you find other roads by the way,” says Lualdi. “The internet-connected door is part of the spin-off of this project, which we were able to think of thanks to the support we received to investigate our first idea. This way will be more attractive and interesting for the future.”
