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Designing for Fire Resilience

Welcome to the ROCKWOOL Fire Performance Education Center, a resource for learning about fire-resilient design.

We’re here to help you better understand fire safety regulations in building codes, fire safety testing standards and design requirements for wildland–urban interface zones. 

Mitigating fire risk is key to designing homes, commercial spaces and multifamily residential buildings that provide safe places for families to live, work, attend school, shop and recreate. 

ROCKWOOL is committed to reducing the human and economic loss associated with fire through long-term partnerships with fire safety organizations. Together we advocate for new fire safety technologies and stronger fire-safety regulations based on research and real-world experience. Learn more about our fire safety advocacy work.

Table of Contents

  1. Advantage of Stone Wool
  2. California fire and energy performance
  3. Wildland Urban Interface Zones
  4. NFPA 285

The Advantage of Stone Wool for Fire Protection

In the United States, an estimated 1.3 million fires caused more than $25.6 billion in property damage, including $12 billion from wildfires, in 2018 alone1. And today, house fires are estimated to spread five to 10 times faster than 50 years ago due to increased use of synthetic materials2. Noncombustible stone wool insulation plays a crucial role in improving the fire resistance of buildings and can even help limit the spread of fire.

Expand your knowledge of fire behavior, stone wool performance, and the building codes and standards applicable when specifying stone wool.

Learn the advantages of stone wool
Origine case study 3

California: The Leading Edge of Fire and Energy Performance

The state of California sets the standard for fire protection and energy efficiency in building construction, and the influence of its regulations goes well beyond its borders.

Because the state has long been plagued with wildfires, it also leads the way on the development of guidelines for protecting buildings in areas near wildlands, known as wildland–urban interface zones.

Understand California energy and fire performance standards
United States Grand Prix, SailGP, 2022, San Francisco, USA

Design Considerations for Wildfire-Prone Areas

Wildfires don’t only affect communities located in forested areas; they often spread to homes and businesses located on the edge of wildlands. Studies show that 1 in 3 houses and 1 in 10 hectares of land are now located in wildland–urban interface zones, and WUI zones are the fastest-growing land use type in the contiguous U.S.

Because climate change has increased both the frequency and intensity of wildfires, buildings in WUI zones must be designed to be fire-resilient.

Learn about WUI design
Colorado wild fire burns behind homes stock photo - wildfires and forest fires - wildland urban interface (WUI) zones

NFPA 285 Design: Balancing Fire Performance and Energy Efficiency

Every designer has faced the challenging equation of how to balance beautiful aesthetics with the need to meet energy efficiency and fire safety standards in the building code. ROCKWOOL stone wool exterior insulation gives architects and designers flexibility in meeting all three of these requirements. 

Take a deep dive into the world of the NFPA 285 test, and learn about available ROCKWOOL-tested assemblies that can save you time and money on your next project.

Explore NFPA 285
NFPA 285 Test Method with Tony Crimi, fire resistance, fire proof, non-combustible

Expand Your Knowledge

Browse our library of always on Continuing Education courses.

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Balancing-Fire-and-Energy-Code-Requirements-in-Exterior-Walls

Footnotes: 

1 “Fire Loss in the United States in 2018” NFPA.org,  https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/NFPA-Journal/2019/September-October-2019/Features/Fire-Loss 


2 “Modern Homes Burn 8 Times Faster Than 50 Years Ago” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/modern-homes-burn-8-times-faster-than-50-years-ago-1.1700063

Fire Performance

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Fire Protection

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NFPA 285

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California Fire Performance

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