Australian manufacturer MetecnoKasset is the first façade system to pass all criteria of the new Australian Standard AS5113:2016 Fire Propagation for Exterior Walls, which came into effect from
March 2018.

AS5113 is a code aimed at improving the safety of Australian building systems with specific pass/fail criteria and is more stringent than any international standard.

Manufactured by Metecno PIR, part of the Australian Bondor Metecno Group, MetecnoKasset passed AS5113 as a conforming curtain wall system for commercial and multi rise construction after almost a year of testing.

Metecno PIR’s general manager Colin Richman says the system meets the highest fire safety benchmark of the Australian built environment.

“MetecnoKasset meets AS5113’s more stringent criteria including for falling debris and radiant heat that are not found in European or American standards,” Colin says.

“The other great advantage of the system is that it can be installed from inside the building which reduces the need for perimeter scaffolding making the fitting process safer, cheaper and faster.

“In fact, it can reduce installation time by up to 50 percent and has saved one client over $1 million in scaffolding equipment on one project alone.”

Developers of the Yorkshire Brewery Apartments in Collingwood achieved the savings when it installed MetecnoKasset as part of its conversion of the heritage-listed building into a modern 15 and 17 storey tower development.

“The new lightweight system together with a traditional installation method significantly reduced the labour costing and program times without relying on the site crane other than floor loading,” Colin says.

The installation cycle on average was two floors per week, without the need for any external access.