UK-based passive fire protection material manufacturer Cafco International has a ‘tall’ claim: it is playing a major role in the protection of the structural steel elements of the Rose Rotana Suites – billed to be the world’s newest and tallest hotel.

The deal has involved the sizeable supply of Cafco 300 passive fire protection material from the company’s Middle East manufacturing operation in Dubai.
“In total, the two-year contract has required 420 tonnes of the long-established passive fire protection material, making it easily one of the largest product supply orders secured in the UAE construction industry over the past two years,” says a company spokesperson.
Cafco 300 is a single-pack factory-quality-controlled passive fire protection material, based on vermiculite and gypsum. At the Rose Rotana Suite complex, the material is being applied to the steel columns at an average thickness of 22 mm and to the steel beams at an average thickness of 28 mm. In the event of a fire, Cafco 300 will provide a two-hour protection to 600 sq m of structural steel of each of the 69 floors with a staggering total of 41,400 sq m, he adds.
Cafco 300 is specifically formulated for protecting internal surfaces of leisure and entertainment centres, educational facilities and commercial buildings, among others.
“This lightweight, spray or trowel-applied coating factory-controlled premix adds minimal thickness to steel as well as concrete frames, metal floors, roof decks and return air plenums while providing extremely efficient fire resistance. Structures protected with Cafco 300 have been assessed for up to 240 minutes fire resistance as defined in BS 475 parts 5, 7 and 21 for cellulosic fires,” he explains.
The 333 m-high Rose Rotana Suite skyscraper now officially surpasses Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel, which is located close by, which until now at 331 m, had held the record for the tallest hotel on the planet. When completed shortly, the new structure will accommodate 72 floors containing 480 studios and suites, a lobby lounge, a 24-hour restaurant, two complete floors of meeting rooms, three floors of dedicated service offices and a state-of-the-art fitness centre with an outside pool.
Khatib & Alami Architecture and Planning has designed the striking complex located on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road with Cafco 300 having been specified at the blueprint stage itself.
Exhaustive product testing, accreditations and approvals, together with local availability, technical support and inspection services were primary reasons for its selection, says the spokesman. The Abbco Group has provided the project management for the project while the general contractor was the Arabian Construction Company. Cafco's recommended applicator, Tuleila Heat Insulation, was responsible for the installation of the Cafco 300.
Cafco International is the global leader in sprayed passive fire protection and related thermal insulation for the construction, hydrocarbon and tunnel industries, offering specifiers and applicators superior value by providing the widest range of effective solutions. It claims to be the only company in the world that manufactures a range of passive fire protection products from gypsum and cement-based vermiculite sprays, to board systems and intumescent coatings. These products have been used on landmark projects throughout the world. Among the latest such landmarks is the Kuala Lumpur’s Sepang International Airport, where its advanced water-based intumescent coating, SprayFilm WB3 has been specified to provide fire protection in the enormous new hangar – incorporating the world's longest column-free steel span of 230 m to accommodate the massive new Airbus 380 aircraft – at Malaysian Airlines maintenance facilities.
The incredible size of the new aircraft has demanded a unique column-free design in order to accommodate the A-380’s wing span during maintenance work. When fully in place, the two colossal supporting steel towers (and 44 individual columns) will bear 5,700 tonnes of steel roofing made up of truss sections. While the roof trusses of the hangar will not receive passive fire protection, the two giant steel towers and 44 individual columns are being given two hours fire protection through the application of SprayFilm WB3, based upon polyvinyl acetate resins and fillers. In total, more than 4,000 sq m of steel are being protected.
The intumescent passive fire protection system consists of a two-pack epoxy primer and micaceous iron oxide intermediate coating for corrosion protection. This treatment is over-coated with SprayFilm WB3 to the required dry film thickness and then sealed with a two-pack polyurethane coating to provide a long-life, maintenance-free finish.
Sprayfilm WB3 has been used for a number of years on many major national and international projects. The thin film intumescent coating offers a fast ‘through drying’ solution and has proved to be a cost-effective alternative to solvent based equivalents. When subject to fire, a chemical reaction takes place causing the coating to expand and form an insulating layer, which prevents the temperature of the steel rising to a critical level.
Sprayfilm WB3 has been fully tested to BS476: Part 21 and ASTM E119 from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and assessed in line with the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) publication ‘Fire Protection for Structural Steel in Buildings’. It also has Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) Certification, giving clients a quick, safe and easy-to-use treatment for providing between 30 and 120 minutes fire resistance on structural steel, including I-section beams, H-section columns and hollow sections. At ratings such as 120 minutes, the required final thickness of an intumescent coating increases, but Sprayfilm WB3 has the lowest thickness requirements of any water-based intumescent coating and its high-build capability reduces the number of coats required, thus facilitating lower labour costs.
Cafco has now fully established separate manufacturing and trading enterprises for the region based in the U.A.E. The manufacturing facility in Sharjah continues to produce Cafco 300 and Fendolite MII with investment plans to enable local production of much more of the Cafco product range. The commercial and administrative team in the Middle East now operate from new office premises in Bur Dubai. The company is currently expanding its regional presence by recruiting technical sales representative and engineers to provide regional technical support for Cafco’s clients. This significant investment is consistent with the company’s policy of manufacturing products as close as possible to the markets being served, thereby ensuring excellent customer support. Cafco has been supply products for major developments in the Middle East for over 30 years and have an impressive track record.