Skip to content
BPindex — The Largest Building Products Directory in the UK

non-combustible

Why More Architects Are Choosing the ProWall Helping Hand Steel Frame System

Building Products Index Ltd Render, Render Systems Leave a Comment

View the SAS Europe entry on BPindex

Visit the SAS Europe website

Finding a  that ticks every box isn’t easy. Fire compliance, thermal performance, moisture management, durability, aesthetics and technical support all need to come together in one solution.

That’s exactly why more architects, façade consultants and contractors are specifying the ProWall Helping Hand Steel Frame System.

Developed by SAS Europe, ProWall combines the clean, contemporary appearance of a rendered façade with the proven performance of a fully ventilated rainscreen system. The result is a façade that’s built to perform for decades while meeting the demands of modern construction. Unlike any other manufacturer, SAS provides every single component along with hands-on technical support from start to finish.

Designed for Today’s Buildings

As Building Regulations continue to evolve, specifying the right external wall system has never been more important.

The ProWall Helping Hand System has been designed with compliance in mind. The complete system achieves an A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire classification, providing specifiers with a non-combustible rendered façade solution suitable for a wide range of residential, commercial and public sector projects.

Unlike many traditional render systems that rely on combustible insulation or direct-fixed construction methods, ProWall is built around ventilated rainscreen principles, helping to deliver both improved fire performance and long-term durability.

The Benefits of a Ventilated Rainscreen

One of the biggest advantages of the ProWall system is what you don’t see.

Behind the finished render sits a continuous ventilated cavity created using an aluminium Helping Hand support system. This allows any moisture that finds its way behind the façade to drain and evaporate naturally, reducing the risk of trapped moisture and helping to protect the building structure over the long term.

For architects and developers, that means greater confidence in the overall performance of the building envelope.

Built Around Proven Helping Hand Technology

Helping Hand bracket systems have become the preferred choice for many modern façade projects, particularly on steel frame construction.

The adjustable aluminium brackets make it easier to achieve perfectly aligned façades, even where the substrate isn’t completely true. They also minimise thermal bridging through thermally isolated fixing points while allowing insulation to be installed continuously across the building.

The result is a system that’s quicker to install, easier to detail and designed to deliver excellent thermal performance.

Fire Performance Without Compromise

Fire safety is no longer simply a design consideration – it’s a project requirement.

ProWall has been developed using carefully selected non-combustible components to achieve an A2-s1,d0 fire classification in accordance with EN 13501-1.

For architects working on schools, apartment buildings, hotels or commercial developments, this provides reassurance that the façade system has been designed with modern fire performance standards at its core.

A Render Finish That Lasts

Performance doesn’t stop beneath the surface.

The ProWall system is finished with high-performance silicone render, offering outstanding weather resistance, excellent vapour permeability and long-lasting colour stability.

Its hydrophobic finish helps rainwater wash dirt from the surface naturally, reducing staining and keeping façades looking cleaner for longer with minimal maintenance.

More Than Just a Product

Choosing a façade system is about more than selecting materials.

At SAS Europe, every ProWall project is backed by a dedicated technical team that supports customers from initial specification through to project completion.

Whether it’s U-value calculations, CAD details, installer guidance or on-site inspections, we’re there to help at every stage.

It’s this level of support that gives architects and contractors the confidence to specify ProWall time and time again.

Why ProWall?

There are plenty of render systems on the market, but very few combine the appearance of a premium rendered façade with the proven principles of a ventilated rainscreen system.

With an A2-s1,d0 fire classification, excellent thermal performance, effective moisture management and compatibility with industry-leading Helping Hand support systems, ProWall offers a complete solution for modern steel frame construction.

Add in expert technical support, comprehensive project assistance and the quality that SAS Europe is known for, and it’s easy to see why ProWall is becoming the preferred choice for architects across the UK.

When performance matters just as much as appearance, ProWall delivers both. The ProWall system has a BBA-assessed service life in excess of 30 years, which can be extended to up to 60 years where an appropriate inspection and maintenance programme is followed. The system has also achieved approval with major warranty providers, including Premier Guarantee and LABC Warranty, providing additional confidence for developers and homeowners.

Ready to Specify ProWall?

Whether you’re designing a new steel frame development, refurbishing an existing building or looking for a fully compliant rendered rainscreen solution, our technical team is here to help.

We’ll work with you from concept through to completion.

Get in touch today to discuss your next project or request a copy of the ProWall Technical Manual.

Call: 01647 24620
Email: sales@sas-europe.com

Fire Safety Without Compromise: Why Mineral Paints Are Becoming Essential in Modern UK Construction

Building Products Index Ltd Paint Leave a Comment

View the KEIM entry on BPindex

Visit the KEIM website

As fire safety continues to shape the specification of building materials across the UK, architects, contractors, and building owners are increasingly looking beyond structural components to ensure every element of the building envelope contributes to occupant safety. One area receiving greater attention is decorative coatings, where mineral paint technology is offering significant advantages over conventional organic paint systems.

How is KEIM different?

KEIM Mineral Paints, manufactured using naturally occurring mineral ingredients and silicate technology, provide an inherently non-combustible finish that does not contribute to fire growth. Unlike traditional petrochemical based coatings, mineral paints contain no petrochemical binders that can fuel a fire, making them an increasingly attractive choice for projects where fire performance is a critical specification requirement.

KEIM’s interior and exterior paint systems have been independently tested to the European fire classification standard EN 13501-1 and achieve an A2-s1, d0 classification. This indicates limited combustibility, very limited smoke production and no flaming droplets during fire exposure — key characteristics that help support safer building design. These credentials are essential for residential buildings over 11 metres in height, where external materials are subject to increasingly stringent fire performance requirements in the UK.

However, fire resistance is only one part of the story. KEIM’s mineral paint chemically bonds with mineral substrates through a process known as silicification, creating a finish that becomes an integral part of the surface rather than forming a film. This results in exceptional durability, outstanding colour stability and high resistance to UV degradation, helping to extend redecoration cycles and reduce whole-life costs.

How it works

The paints are highly vapour permeable, allowing buildings to ‘breathe’ naturally while helping to reduce trapped moisture that can contribute to substrate deterioration. Combined with their water-based formulation, absence of solvents and extremely low emissions, KEIM coatings support healthier indoor environments alongside long-term environmental performance.

For specifiers, the combination of verified fire performance, durability and sustainability makes mineral paints an increasingly compelling option across education, healthcare, transport infrastructure, commercial developments and high-rise residential projects. As building regulations continue to evolve, selecting materials that offer proven performance without compromising safety, aesthetics or longevity is becoming more important than ever.

In an industry where every specification decision matters, fire-resistant mineral paints are demonstrating that decorative finishes can play a valuable role in delivering safer, more resilient buildings.

Advantages of KEIM mineral paints and renders;

  • Environmentally friendly ISO 14001
  • High vapour permeability
  • Provides durable, colour stable protection
  • Fire resistant to A2- s1, d0
  • UV stable
  • Increases light reflectivity

What we recommend

Before you start your next painting project, take a moment to read the product label and safety data sheets. They contain essential information about technical performance, ingredients, application guidance, and fire resistance, helping you choose the right product for your project. Understanding what’s in your paint and how it performs ensures better results, safer use, and greater confidence that your chosen coating meets the requirements of your project.

Nature Plus and Cradle to Cradle Certified.

Interested to find out more?

View KEIM’s profile on Bpi – https://www.bpindex.co.uk/supplier/4136/keim-mineral-paints-ltd/

Find out more https://www.keim.com/en-gb/company/fire-resistance/

Tel: 01952 231 250

Web:  https://www.keim.com/en-gb/

Email: sales@keimpaints.co.uk.

Social Links:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/keim_uk/

Pinterest https://in.pinterest.com/KEIMMineralPaints/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/keim-mineral-paints-ltd/

Project examples include:

Holland Park Underground Station, London – KEIM Soldalit

Knauf AQUAPANEL® – the water resistant board ideal for all projects

Building Products Index Ltd Panels Leave a Comment

View the Knauf entry on BPindex

Visit the Knauf website

Aquapanel main imageThe Knauf AQUAPANEL® range has been designed to be water resistant, moisture resistant and vapour resistant. The boards can be used as render carriers on external walls and soffits, as tile backers for internal walls and floors in wet areas, and as rooftop boards.

With Magnesium Oxide boards being banned from new build homes (by major providers of warranties), housebuilders can rest assured that Knauf AQUAPANEL® glass-fibre-reinforced cement boards provide a tried and tested alternative.

Knauf Aquapanel 3Completely inorganic and dimensionally stable, the boards are also non-combustible, tough and impact resistant. Furthermore, they can be bent to accommodate design curves with a bending radius of 1m at full board size.

In terms of installation, the boards are surprisingly lightweight and quick and easy to fit. They can be cut by scoring with a knife and then simply snapping, as with plasterboard.

When used as part of a complete Knauf system, AQUAPANEL® installations will be covered by the comprehensive Knauf system performance warranty.

Knauf AQUAPANEL® boards are available in a number of different forms:

63117_AQUAPANEL_Cement-Board-OutdoorKnauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Outdoor offers a high quality and economical alternative to traditional methods of construction, such as brick and block.

Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Indoor is designed to be used as a high-performance tile backing and internal wet room board. It is also suitable as a general building board.

Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board SkyLite offers a lightweight solution for both interior and exterior ceilings and soffits.

Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board Floor Tile Underlay is the perfect substrate for tiles on wooden subfloors for renovations and refurbishments.

Knauf Aquapanel_area1photographyKnauf Rooftop is a high-performing roofing board that delivers strength, safety and sustainability for industrial and commercial buildings.

Whether you’re an architect looking for greater design flexibility or a contractor needing a lightweight, easy to use product, Knauf AQUAPANEL® ought to be your first choice.

 

To find out more about the AQUAPANEL® range visit https://www.knauf.co.uk/systems-and-products/aquapanel-technology or email technical@knauf.co.uk