The Living Wall industry has launched a Best Practice Guide for designers, specifiers and architects to provide clarity on the latest National Building Regulations.
On 1 June 2022 the government introduced a new framework to further strengthen and clarify building regulations and fire risk guidance as part of wider reforms to building safety. National legislation now clearly determines the building types where external cladding can be used, which includes Living Wall installations. This means that residential dwellings above 11m high where people sleep are no longer compliant, but all other building types are.
In response, the Living Wall industry’s two biggest installers, Biotecture and ANS Global, alongside the British Association of Landscape Industries and the Green Infrastructure Consultancy, have summarised the changes to the government’s ‘Approved Document B’ and included industry recommendations on the specifications and materials to be used, including the type of plants.
Ways to minimise risk of fire, outlined in the guidance, include selecting plants with low calorific value and propensity for heat and enacting robust irrigation procedures, preventing plants from drying out.
The guide also explains the third-party Engineering Assessment reports and testing procedures to ensure compliance, such as fire certification test BS EN 13501-1, and effective maintenance procedures to follow.
The purpose of the Best Practice Guidance is two-fold:
1. To clarify details of the June 2022 update to Approved Document B with specific reference to Living Walls as external cladding
2. To allow any regulatory or other body to specify and condition Living Walls as external cladding with confidence.
