At its depot in Mortsel, De Lijn has enhanced fire protection measures by installing fire compartmentation walls made of Hebel reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete panels.

As part of the modernization of its depot infrastructure, De Lijn selected Hebel reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete panels for the construction of external fire walls. The walls were designed to create fire compartments between parking and charging areas, supporting the site's overall fire safety strategy.

2,200 square meters of fire protection walls

The project involved the construction of approximately 2,200 square meters of fire walls using 15-centimeter-thick reinforced Hebel panels. The elements were custom designed to meet the specific requirements of the depot and installed on a self-supporting structure.

Thanks to the use of prefabricated large-format elements, installation was completed in less than two weeks, helping to minimize disruption to ongoing depot operations.

Supporting fire compartmentation in critical infrastructure

The newly installed walls separate charging and parking zones within the depot and are intended to help limit the spread of fire and heat between vehicles in the event of an incident.

"The shift to electric transport in Europe presents numerous challenges, particularly regarding the risk of battery fires. Such battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish and can burn for many hours. In this context, the excellent fire resistance of Hebel panels is a distinct advantage.

For this reason, many transport companies have already selected Hebel panels to construct fire walls in their electric bus charging areas. In this project, the bus operator De Lijn, based in Flanders, chose Hebel panels to build the fire walls mandated by insurance providers and fire authorities," summarizes Project Manager Pascal Meulders.