The tragedy of the Victorian bushfires led to the state government revising building standards to improve fire protection. The new Australian Standards introduced on March 11 2009 impose stricter requirements on the choice of fire-resistant building materials, such as mandating that internal walls are constructed from non-combustible material.
A spotlight has been cast on building material manufacturers such as Hebel, makers of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC), to contribute to the rebuilding effort with better products to meet these new standards.
“Hebel is Australian through and through and we’ve always known how important fire resistance is,” says Hebel marketing manager Paul Mooney. “We’re proud our Hebel blocks and panels achieve excellent fire ratings as they just will not burn. While all openings need to be considered, having a non-combustible masonry wall, floor and/or roof is one step in the right direction for building houses that will not ignite during intense fire storms,” says Paul.