Textiles that won’t fuel the fire

Textile works developed for public spaces generally have to meet specific fire-safety requirements. To ensure we provide makers and their clients with relevant advice, the TextielLab researched all the fire-retardant options. In this article, you’ll read about the choices involved in this process. 

When a maker designs a textile project for a public building, they’ll have to think about making the work fireproof and the safety requirements the client asks for. Fireproof does not necessarily mean that a fabric is non-flammable, but that it does not fuel the fire or spread it quickly. The term used for textiles is ‘fire retardant’, or FR for short. For example, FR tests assess how easily a fabric catches fire, whether it releases dangerous fumes and how quickly it chars and burns out.

Choosing the right yarns, photo: Josefina Eikenaar

 

Strict, stricter, strictest

Various fire-safety standards and certificates exist. These influence the material you can use: the stricter the standard, the more limited the choice. To help out makers, the TextielLab researched all the options. Thanks to all this knowledge, our experts can provide fire-safety advice early on.

Smaller, free-standing works often do not need to be fire retardant. However, it is mandatory for applied interior designs that are part of the space, such as larger wallcoverings, upholstery, curtains and textile room dividers. The wallcovering we developed for the restaurant in Paleis ‘t Loo and the lobby of the Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam, as well as the curtains for the LocHal building in Tilburg, are examples of projects where fire safety was an important requirement

Inside Outside’s fireproof curtains in the LocHal. Photo Peter Tijhuis

 

What are the options? 

You may have heard of coating or impregnation. This involves coating a work with a chemical protective layer when it is finished, so the advantage is that the textile can be made of any material. Yet this is a choice not easily recommended by our TextielLab's product developers. The treatments create a somewhat sticky layer on the fabric that sometimes also causes discolouration, distortion or weakening. Moreover, the chemical protection disappears as soon as it comes into contact with water and the process has to be repeated once every five years.

Our experts would rather recommend fire retardant (FR) yarns. These are (semi-)synthetic yarns that have had a flame retardant added to the fibre during the production process. The benefit is that the textile doesn’t have to be treated once it’s done. The range of available FR yarns is limited when it comes to structure and shine. Nevertheless, there is usually enough variety to be found and we are in the process of expanding the range of FR yarns even further. This way, a work can still have any desired look; from smooth to fuzzy.

Bas van Beek and Lotte van Dijk working on the fire-retardant wallcovering for Carré. Photos Patty van den Elshout

 

FR yarns in action at Carré

A great example of a project where fire safety was an important factor is the new wall covering for Theatre Carré. During the renovation of the Loge Foyer on the first floor of Amsterdam’s Royal Theater Carré, several layers of wallpaper were found behind old panels dating from the time when this was the Carré family’s living room. The theatre commissioned artist Bas van Beek to design a new wallcovering inspired by the historical wallpaper patterns. He developed the work with our product developer Lotte van Dijk. To ensure fire-safety compliance, the client initially suggested impregnating the fabric, but our specialists advised using cotton-look FR yarns. This presented the challenge of incorporating the fine lines and intricate details of the design into the compact weave, which is composed of dozens of threads per centimetre. Eventually, some testing and alterations made the loom run smoothly, making the end result not only beautiful but safe too.