Balco have unveiled a range of fire-resistance wood-frame floor and wall assemblies which meet nationally-recognised standards.
US-based Balco – a leading manufacturer of architectural building products specializing in high-performance expansion joint covers and fire barrier solutions – has achieved an industry first with its MetaBlock® Fire-Rated Expansion Joint Barrier.
UL Listing
The products are UL-listed for use in wood-frame floor and wall assemblies, addressing a long-standing gap in fire-resistive expansion joint protection for buildings constructed with rated wood framing, particularly podium-style construction where wood-framed upper levels interface with concrete structures.
The system is intended for use in multi-family, mixed-use, and other types of wood-frame designed commercial buildings, where fire-resistance continuity must be maintained at linear expansion joint locations while accommodating building movement.
Steve Cooper, Vice President of Promotions and Training at Balco said: “Wood frame construction behaves very differently than concrete.
“These UL listings provide clarity with these applications by giving design teams a listed, code-recognized assembly they can specify with confidence, allowing them to rely on documented performance rather than evaluations for wood assemblies based on concrete tested systems.
Wood-Frame Construction
“Our goal was not to rely on concrete-based solutions. It was to test and list assemblies that reflect how wood frame buildings are actually designed and built so teams can base decisions on documented performance instead of evaluations on dissimilar materials and assemblies.”
Modera New Rochelle, an eight-story multifamily development in New York, used Balco’s UL-listed fire-rated expansion joint and fire barrier systems to support wood‑frame construction that led to the development of several UL-listed current Balco designs.
The project required solutions that could meet movement, life-safety, and code-compliance demands across both wall and floor assemblies. Balco’s MetaBlock®, MetaMat®, and MetaFlex® systems delivered 2‑ and 3-hour protection while supporting seismic, thermal, and wind movement throughout the structure.
