Seoul Facilities Corporation develops its own semi-noncombustible material to reduce fire risk from ads in underground shopping arcades

[Financial News]  Seoul Facilities Corporation is putting a semi-noncombustible material it developed in-house to use at sites to reduce fire risks from advertisements in underground shopping arcades. The aim is to lower the risk of fire spreading in underground spaces by replacing existing advertising materials that catch fire easily and tightening safety standards for each facility. Seoul Facilities Corporation said on the 30th that it is carrying out a safety improvement project for advertising facilities at six major underground shopping arcades, including those at Gangnam and Jamsil stations, and nine connecting passageways. Work has been completed at five underground shopping arcades and all nine passageways, while improvements are underway at the Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping Arcade.
The centerpiece of the project is a semi-noncombustible advertising sheet developed by the corporation itself. Noting that some advertisements in underground shopping arcades use materials such as paper and plastic that ignite easily, the corporation drew on the expertise it had accumulated in facility management and its experience with construction materials to produce an advertising sheet that can slow the spread of fire. The product passed performance tests conducted by an accredited testing agency and was certified for semi-noncombustible performance.
The improvements cover six underground shopping arcades—Gangnam Station, Jamsil Plaza, Jamsil Station, Yeongdeungpo Station, Yeongdeungpo Rotary and Gangnam Terminal—and nine connecting passageways. The corporation is replacing the materials in stages, incorporating strengthened material standards when advertising contracts are put out to tender or renewed.
The corporation also modified the structure of the advertising facilities. It replaced existing plastic advertising covers with tempered glass and introduced fire-resistant, semi-noncombustible LED displays. Since tempered glass is heavier than plastic, it separately reviewed the safety of the supporting structures and established related design standards. It also tightened oversight of construction. Before advertising facilities are installed, it checks supporting documents and test reports for the materials, and during construction it verifies that the materials actually used meet safety standards.
The corporation plans to complete improvements at the Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping Arcade and expand the use of noncombustible and semi-noncombustible materials at other underground shopping arcades as well.
Han Guk-yeong, chairman of Seoul Facilities Corporation, said, “Because underground shopping arcades are places that many citizens pass through every day, we carefully applied fire-safety standards to every advertising fixture.” He added, “We will continue to do our utmost to create safe underground shopping arcades that citizens can use with peace of mind.”

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