Fire class B certified sandwich panels with Trespa

The fire behavior of facades is unfortunately still too often underestimated, despite the requirements of the Building Code. This is also the opinion of Vincent Wijnja, head of sales at Panelen Holland. Since 2021, the company has been investing heavily in testing at Efectis to be able to supply the most common types of sandwich panels with Fire Class B certification (according to standard EN13501-1). Meanwhile, Panelen Holland also offers Trespa® Sandwich panels, which achieve Fire Class B. 

"Trespa® panels are often used as facade cladding because they are ideally suited to create unique effects, underline the quality of a building or define the appearance of a building," begins Wijnja. "But there are more advantages: Trespa® is a scratch, impact and shock resistant cladding, combines well with other materials and is easy to maintain and clean. In addition, the panels are easy to work and process because they are very stable and dense (similar to hardwood)."

Trespa® Sandwich panels

When processing into sandwich panels, Panelen Holland uses a specially developed 6 mm thick Trespa® panel that is glued so that it is suitable for use in exterior wall construction. "This panel is very suitable to produce sandwich panels from, without losing its stability or quality. Compared to traditional insulated frame rebates fitted with 6 mm Trespa® panels, a higher insulation value is achieved with the Trespa® Sandwich Panels, while maintaining the luxurious look of Trespa®." 

A variety of panel materials may be used in Trespa® Sandwich panels. "To maintain Fire Class B, the inner panel may consist of any of the other tested materials, namely; enameled hard glass, powder coated or anodized aluminum or steel. With a core of 10 to 50 mm as a flat panel and from 40 to 200 mm as a tapered panel. Which version to choose depends, among other things, on the required insulation value." The sandwich panels can be produced exactly to size and thickness and it is even possible to provide the panels with a rebate or sparring. This makes them extremely suitable for renovation and inset door panels. 

Fire Safety

In addition to the aesthetic aspect and insulation value, fire safety plays a major role. Wijnja expects that, with the advent of the Quality Assurance Act, there will be more frequent checks on compliance with the specified fire safety requirements. "I still regularly observe that sometimes insufficient attention is paid to fire safety during the design phase, resulting in adjustments afterwards involving large costs. It is therefore incredibly important to check in advance whether the cladding material, as well as the way it is applied, meets the strict fire safety requirements." The reason for Panelen Holland to have various types of sandwich panels tested at Efectis, a globally recognized institute in the field of fire science. "It is nice that also our tested Trespa® Sandwich panels have a European Fire Class B certificate. In this we are unique in the Dutch market."

Renovation Market

An important step, according to Wijnja. "Especially in view of the renovation market. There too, Trespa® can be permanently applied in combination with bonded sandwich panels, just as people are used to in terms of aesthetics. And with peace of mind, because they do now meet European Fire Class B!" Panelen Holland is very pleased with the cooperation with Trespa® and has already carried out several large projects with the Trespa® Sandwich Panels, such as at a large project at the Noordbrabantstraat in Amsterdam. Wijnja concludes, "We like to think along with our customers at an early stage so that we can recommend the right product to suit the needs and requirements of a project."