Overview
This Construction Brief will give you an overview of Verisk's Construction Class 3 — noncombustible construction. When you have completed this course, you'll know what a Verisk report means when it says a building is noncombustible construction. And you'll understand why a particular structure is—or isn't—noncombustible.
Definition
- Buildings with exterior walls, floors, and roofs of noncombustible or slow-burning materials
- Building supports of noncombustible or slow-burning materials
- Noncombustible or slow-burning roof decks on noncombustible or slow-burning supports—regardless of the type of insulation on the roof surface
Advantages of noncombustible construction
- Easy to erect
- Economical to build
- Uses materials that do not readily burn
Disadvantages of noncombustible construction
- Contains steel, which loses strength at high temperatures
- Highly damageable buildings
- Unstable buildings under fire conditions
- Uses slow-burning materials that do burn—adding fuel to a fire