Fire protection refurbishment
The refurbishment of listed buildings generally requires, with regard to the fire protection design, a fire protection concept in which it must be determined how the building law protection objectives can be met despite deviations from the substantive requirements of the state building codes.
The building codes of the German federal states require national technical approvals or national test certificates as proofs of usability for fire and smoke protection closures. In the case of significant deviations from these, the approval of the supreme building supervisory authority of the respective federal state is required. For listed buildings, the lower building supervisory authority is responsible. Due to the requirements of heritage conservation, fire protection closures with deviations from the proof of usability were required in the Bode Museum. This concerned in particular gate heights, enlarged wall clearances, as well as larger escape door widths with smaller gate widths.
Fire protection custom solutions from System Schröders
For the special requirements in the Bode Museum, System Schröders developed custom solutions. The development took place in consultation with MPA Braunschweig (Materials Testing Institute Braunschweig). Subsequently, System Schröders applied for an expert report from this Materials Testing Institute, which was attached to the application for individual approval submitted to the Senate Department for Urban Development as the responsible authority in this case.
System Schröders has specialised in such custom solutions and offers a comprehensive service ranging from consultation and planning through to realisation, including all applications necessary for obtaining an individual approval, from a single source. To date, the company has already handled more than 500 of these approval procedures in Germany.
Sliding fire resistance gates with escape doors
In the Bode Museum, fire-resistant single-leaf and double-leaf steel sliding gates "System Schröders" with escape doors were used. To do justice to heritage conservation, the gates had to be adapted to the structural conditions. The gates are parked invisibly in gate niches and concealed by niche cover flaps. In the event of a fire, these cover flaps spring open, the parked gates move out of the niche and close off the passage in order to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent rooms.
Likewise, larger wall clearances for bridging existing marble portals, wide escape doors with relatively small gate widths, and the use of a special hold-open system with central smoke aspiration (no visible detectors) had to be taken into account.
Overall, the fire protection measures significantly raised the safety standard of the building. The conclusion: human lives and art treasures alike are better protected without impairing the overall architectural appearance.