Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone chooses Lonza fire protection

Lonza Wood Protection fire retardant products have been used in the new Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone, Ebbw Vale, Wales, a landmark development that forms part of a wider £350m regeneration project in Ebbw Vale aimed at transforming the former steelworks site.

Developed through a sustainable framework that has been recognised as the first in the UK, The Learning Zone has been awarded BREEAM Excellent for its design and makes extensive use of locally sourced building materials including both European and Japanese larch, grown and harvested in Wales and supplied by MTS Mon Timber Ltd.

The four storey Learning Zone building exterior is dominated by large exterior timber cladding panels, constructed from Non-Com Exterior fire retardant treated European Larch. Non-Com Exterior fire retardant is a polymer based formulation and the only approved leach resistant product in the Wood Protection Association (WPA) Flame Retardant Manual. This allows the Non-Com Exterior treated timber to be used naturally in external applications without the need for a protective coating.

The building features an impressive full height atrium at the northern end that makes excellent use of natural light, allowing it to flow in between massive timber columns that rise from the floor to the Dricon fire treated Japanese larch slatted timber ceiling. Dricon, the only BBA certified fire protection for timber, is Lonza’s tried and trusted humidity resistant fire retardant treatment for interior and weather protected exterior applications.