Overview

This particular PBSA provider has experience in providing accommodation for students across the UK and owns 151 different properties. One of these properties in Southampton, a 17-storey purpose-built student accommodation built in 2008, consists of 148 cluster flats and has a total of 690 occupants. The building underwent a refurbishment in 2018, which resulted in non-compliance with the previous passive fire protection.  

The Brief –  

The client requested a full refurbishment for the passive fire protection to ensure that the building was fully compliant and adhered to regulations. Global Technical Services were instructed to carry out a technical note that related to the arrangement and configuration of the rooms within cluster flats. 

Situation

An intensive summary highlighted the issues with the fire protection and compartmentation, which was from the original construction of the building. Inappropriate fire stopping works in place meant that smoke and fire could potentially pass from one compartment to another, meaning the compartmentation would fail. As well as this, the fire protection on compartment lines needed to be fully compliant by being brought back to the required fire strategy, as the compartment lines did not fully encapsulate the compartment. To achieve this, the dividing sections needed to be separated to achieve compliance through refurbishment.  

Challenges –  

As the building is a purpose-built student accommodation, this was a large project which required our team to delegate time and tasks efficiently to complete all of the works and to meet the client brief.  

Solution

• Refurbishments to the accommodation were carried out in June 2018, and Global were then instructed to carry out improvements to the passive fire protection. Global’s team of fire engineers produced a technical note to examine the building’s fire safety through an assessment of how the building met fire safety regulations, such as BS 9991 requirements and Building Regulations Approved Document B. Our team also carried out sample observations on the fire doors and found that there were defects which required remediation works in order to be made compliant. During the survey, several issues were reported within the building which compromised the effectiveness of the passive fire protection in place. For example, the corridor walls were incomplete, meaning that the compartmentation within the building was breached.  

  The building was of a high risk, so extra considerations needed to be put in place to ensure the safety for the occupants. In doing so, the compartmentation of the building was brought in line with the standards, which therefore created effective passive fire protective for the building.  

  Results –  

  • Compliant compartmentation  
  • Improved passive fire protection  

Summary

The building underwent a transformative remediation project, as passive fire protection works were carried out in order to ensure that the compartmentation of the building was compliant. Due to Global’s work and commitment to prioritising safety, the refurbishment of the building was compliant in accordance with building regulations, creating a safe space for students to live in. 

Overview

The PBSA in Newcastle was built in 2008 and required a renovation in 2021. The building consists of 7 student blocks and 445 bedrooms, as well as shared facilities including a laundry room, study room and cinema.  

Brief –  

To become compliant with guidelines, the building required the passive fire works to be surveyed and remediated. Global were given a time frame of 12 months to complete the works on the live site, with a total of 42 people working to complete the surveying, fire stopping, painting and decorating works.  

Situation

Global completed passive fire surveys for blocks A, B, C, D, E, F and G from the ground floor to the roof. When surveying the property, the team identified that the firestopping works already in place required remediation due to non-compliance, which needed to be rectified to create a safe and compliant space to live in. For example, the survey highlighted that the service riser had an exposed base, which decreased the fire resistance of the passive fire protection.

This report also highlighted that some of the existing fire stopping works needed to be removed and reinstalled in order to be compliant with regulations which Global identified, and then provided a recommended action for. Global’s ‘do it right’ approach ensured that this project would receive expert attention from it’s beginning to the end to create a safe space for the occupants.  

Challenges – 

As this was a live site, the Global team didn’t want to cause a disruption when completing the works so that the living conditions of the students would not be negatively impacted. To prevent this, we were able to complete the work in a reduced timeframe of 9 months due to the team’s efficiency and expertise. 

Solution

• To create compliance, we reinstated the integrity of the cluster walls by removing sections of ceiling and extending this to the underside of the timber soffit to create compliant compartmentation of the cluster walls. To further create compartmentation, a single layer of wall board was installed. In addition to this, firestopping penetrations were added from the corridors to the bedrooms by extending the head of wall detail to the wallboard to the existing studwork to the underside of the fire line soffit. The wallboards were also removed near the stair core to retain the timber studwork in the frame and, to improve the fire resistance, double wallboard was installed to the faces of the stud to achieve 60-minute integrity. As well as this, the plasterboard and wall lining were removed, and we installed an FSI ablative batt in the existing studs to reinstate the fire resistance.  

  A holistic approach was used by Global to make sure that all the various fire safety measures were working together effectively to improve the passive fire protection of the building. This was achieved by upgrading the automatic fire detectors (AFDs) and reviewing the fire strategy. We also installed a Firefly system to ensure that fires could be detected without requiring multiple monitors.  

  Results –  

  • Reinstated integrity of walls  
  • Compartmentation  
  • Improved fire resistance  
  • Compliance with regulations 
  • Firefly system and upgraded AFDs  

Summary

The PBSA provider entrusted Global to create compliant student accommodation through reinstating compartmentation and improving the fire resistance throughout the student blocks. In doing so, this allowed the team to provide passive fire protection works to ensure the building was safe and compliant.  

Global assisted the PBSA provider from the initial surveys conducted by our technicians, to the subsequent remedial works of the passive fire protection, by using the collaborative expertise and experience of our team.  

Overview

Hyde Housing was founded in 1967, after a high demand for affordable housing in Britain. In the present, Hyde provides over 44,000 homes across London and the Southeast. One of the core principles at Hyde is providing safe homes for residents, which forms an ideal partnership with Global as ‘safety is our whole business.’ From Global’s commitment to both customer service and safety, this ideal collaboration allows us to ensure that Hyde’s homes are safe and compliant.  

Global received this opportunity, as well as the contract with Hyde, through the Pretium Framework. This project is ever developing to ensure that houses are safe and adhere to the regulations for Hyde’s residents. With this project, there is a focus on the future of housing and more opportunities in the pipeline to create safe and compliant homes. 

Situation:  

Global’s work with Hyde is a large-scale project that requires planning and organisation at each stage to ensure that the works can be delivered efficiently. This process requires effective communication across multiple departments, which Global achieves through the utilisation of documentation systems, such as Bolster. In addition to FRA actions, Global also complete ad hoc actions which can occur outside of the annual FRAs due to changes in build usage, circumstance, or tenancy. 

Solution: 

Global has formed a structured approach that allows for the continuation of works to be completed to a high standard. All of the FRA actions are reviewed before sending out the survey team to check that we can do the work compliantly, as safety is our core value. The team also costs the works, which is then sent back to Hyde so that they can approve the works before we carry them out.  

Once this has been approved by Hyde, we add the work onto the project management software Monday, and the contracts team books an appointment with the resident. The work Global carries out is joinery for door remedials and door replacements of flat entrances and communal doors. For flat entrance doors, a ‘Golden Thread Approach’ is used so we can access a chain of information that shows traceability of the project from the beginning to the end. At Global, we install our own Ceasefire Doors to Flat Entrances to ensure that the fire door’s lifecycle is documented and that the Ceasefire Doors are tracked. For communal doors, we work with an approved supply chain procuring third party accredited doorsets and assemblies. Global’s dedication to the safety of residents is shown through the focus on making improvements to ensure that homes are compliant.  

After the work is completed, we then quality assess it and log it onto Bolster to then be certified. After this process, the information is then uploaded to RiskHub who then submit the work back, and the action is then closed.  

Results –  

• Close out 50-100 FRA actions a month  

• Avoid NOD  

• Improved fire safety in homes  

• Compliance with Regulations  

Steve Taylor, Fire Safety Surveyor at The Hyde Group commented, “It has been a pleasure working with the Global team who consistently close a variety of actions that arise within our fire door and ad hoc workstreams. This work typically involves the replacement of communal fire doors and flat entrance doors, repairs to fire doors such as reducing perimeter and threshold gaps, the installation of intumescent strips and smoke seals, the installation of door closers, as well as various other minor fire doors repairs. 

The team repeatedly demonstrate excellent communication within our weekly progress meetings which are held on Microsoft Teams and always respond to queries and issues that arise in a timely and friendly manner. We strongly appreciate their customer focus, attention to detail and efficiency in scheduling and carrying out these works.” 

Callum Brown, Operations Manager South at Global HSE Group concludes, “Promoting fire safety in the Social Housing sector always brings with it many logistical and data based challenges. Working alongside a conscientious and experience driven provider like Hyde allows us to focus on delivering the best possible service to residents across the board. 

I genuinely believe this partnership has improved the safety and quality of living for many residents in the first year and will continue to do so.” 

Future Plans:  

Through Global’s fast expanding portfolio of work completed for Hyde, we will continue to work together to create safe and compliant housing for Hyde’s residents. At Global, we value the experience that our customers receive and are committed to ensuring that our team delivers a high-quality standard of work. With Hyde’s developing investment in housing, there is the aim for a progressing successful partnership between Global and Hyde.  

Overview

Global HSE have been working closely with Kajima on the inspection and remedial works at the Robert Hadfield Wing of the Northern General Hospital. The Hadfield Wing was built in 2007 underthe private finance initiative scheme.

Following post Grenfell fire risk assessments, the building was closed in December 2018 after a range of fire safety breaches were highlighted. Yorkshire Fire and Rescue issued a prohibition notice on the building due to concerns of the fire safety measures within the building. Due to the nature of the PFI scheme, the remedial works has received a large amount of interest and scrutiny from various parties. As part of the remedial works, the building manager, and the Trust both employed individual fire consultants to validate works carried out by Global. The project involved Global completing initial site inspections, completing remedial works, and a post installation inspection in accordance with BM Trada.

The Approach

Global were assigned to carry out fire compartmentation, fire damper and door surveys in line with the fire strategy for the hospital building. We completed a full site audit across all 6 wards and all ancillary areas. The inspections consist of checking installation against manufacturers details and any additional documentation provided in the O&M’s.

At all stages, Global took photos to evidence our findings and to provide a comprehensive record for the building owner or responsible person. This shows compliance or indicates any faults that required additional attention. These were then issued in a comprehensive report with an executive summary of any major concerns or findings.

In regard to the completed PFP/Compartment surveys, we addressed this with a team of experienced installers and surveyors. They identified any details that were not in accordance with the original fire stopping manufacturer and added additional works that had been completed since the original build but not correctly fire stopped or sealed in compartment walls or floors. All our findings were given a unique reference number and logged onto the Boris system with a description of the issue, and in many instances, a solution to rectify any logged pins. The compartment survey was completed to reflect the fire rated compartment lines as dictated on the provided fire strategy as well as all the floors throughout the building. This also enabled Global to provide a cost for all the works once the survey was completed to allow  efficiency in the flow of work.

Once the survey was completed, the report was issued to all major stakeholders involved in the contract. Alongside survey reports, Global issued a project pack, containing all remediation details with manufacturers evidence for sign off and approval. This allowed for a transparent approach to all remedial works and ensured all relevant parties were involved at each stage of the project. From the remedial works, Global were required to overcome any defects and variations from the original builds. We worked closely with suppliers and our technical team to design solutions for the hospital in line with HTM81 and HTM05 02 that supports the fire strategy and regulatory requirements. The remedial works including:

Floor separation to FR60
Corridor lines to FR30
Risers to FR30 or FR60
Cross corridor door headers to FR30

Due to the large quantity and variant size services and penetrations in hospitals, Global had to apply a range of different fire stopping details and installations to ensure the building was complaint. The existing heating & ventilation system had not been installed correctly, and therefore the dampers required remediation works to make them compliant. We were able to achieve this with minimum disruption to the SURBESH existing installation.

Across the 6 wards within the Hadfield Wing, approximately 230 fire doors were installed to BM Trada Q Mark Certification. These included double cross corridor door sets, riser/cupboard doors and 60 min ward access door sets.

In order to provide supporting test data, Global led a Warrington Fire burn test in line with BS476. The burn test was managed and completed by Global on shaft wall, damper details and a double door set. This resulted in three 3m full tests and supporting test data to verify the installed details.

The Outcome

Following these remedials, further fire door inspections were completed in line with the BM Trada Q Mark Certification scheme that requires evidence that the doors have been installed in line with manufacturers details and any additional relevant standards. Our BM Trada qualified Compliance Inspector supported our surveying team in inspecting doors throughout the hospital building. All evidence of inspections and installations have been provided to BM Trada to allow the doors to be certified and receive the Golden Plug.

Global installed a large majority of the fire stopping in accordance with manufacturers standard details. Where installations where outside of manufactures recommendations, engineering judgements were requested from the supplier’s fire engineering team. This ensured all stakeholders had confidence in the compliance of Global’s work.

Overview

Osborne House is the palatial former holiday homes of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, located on the Isle of Wight. English Heritage has owned and managed the attraction since 1986. Due to the nature and historical value of the estate, there was a requirement for effective fire compartmentation throughout the property.

The Project

Osbourne House saw us complete required remedial works to existing cross corridor doors. The historical cross corridor doors in the Durbar Wing required fire safety measures to be put in place following concerns raised with the Fire Officer at English Heritage. The upgrades were necessary to ensure the Durbar Room could be protected more efficiently and for longer in the event of a fire. 

The Approach

A proactive approach was required to be taken at Osbourne House to ensure that damage did not occur to the paintings and surrounding areas of the doors. The client required the original aesthetics to remain, with an upgrade to the fire rating. As the house was built in the 1850s, replacing these doors with new fire rated door sets was not an option. Global needed to work to improve the original elements of the property to provide improved fire protection, without damaging the historical elements of the house. This was achieved through various methods, including:

Replace existing fanlights and vision panels with fire rated glazing

Installing hardwood lipping to eliminate excessive door gaps

Fitting intumescent combination seals

Fitting hardwood glazed over panels to doors and loft lights

3-part Envirograph intumescent coating to doors and timber

Fire rated boxing around electrical consumer units

Originally the deadline for completion of works was 21st February 2021, to allow the property to reopen fully in time for half term. With Covid-19 restrictions at the time, it was not possible for the property to open for visitors during February, however Global still worked to the previously set out completion date. Commencing works on 1st February 2021, we were able to complete remedial works within three weeks. Our team of X worked over the three weeks to improve the fire rating of existing door sets, replace glazed screens, and provide fireproofing around electrical consumer units. 

The Outcome

Global were able to upgrade the existing historic cross corridor doors to the Durbar wing, whilst retaining as much of original doors as possible, helping to protect the heritage of the building and the valuable items inside of it. A Royal collection had to be booked in to remove paintings and sculptures in close proximity to where works were being carried out, as English Heritage cannot move paintings themselves as they are owned by the Queen. All areas were subsequently clean screened to minimise dust damaging any important objects, and an English Heritage Chaperone was issued to ensure all valuables were protected during the works. As a result of our works, the Durbar Wing of Osbourne House now has fully compliant doors, which ensure that all of the heritage and the visitors are kept safe in the event of a fire.

Overview

Global were instructed by Bowmer and Kirkland to complete inspections and Fire Scrutineering in accordance with the role of ICA to the project at St Marks, Lincoln. Over the past 18 months, Global have supported the fire safety requirements throughout the £94 million scheme to deliver 1,300 student flats in Lincoln over 9 storeys.

This contract sees Global assist Bowmer and Kirkland with providing full fire safety design support. Global have completed constant fire design reviews as the build has progressed, inline with the Golden Thread Gateways 1, 2 & 3. We have also provided constant technical support when specifying and resourcing materials to ensure they are correct and compatible. Throughout the support and consultancy time on the project Global have ensured that common fire and quality issues are not duplicated or carried forward from previous or similar new builds.

The Project

Bowmer and Kirkland have undertaken the design and construction of 10 seperate student accommodation blocks for Aberdeen Standard Life on behalf of the University of Lincoln. The project provides 1,372 rooms and associated infrastructure and external works. Each room is part of an 8 to 12 room cluster and has common living and kitchen facilities. The en-suite shower rooms were built off site and lifted into position as work has progressed.

The Approach

From inspecting and working on fire latent defect surveys and fire remediation projects in various student housing properties nationally, the Global team were able to emphasize commonly occurring design and quality issues found in similar building types. Prior to works commencing on St Marks, Global assisted with early engagement at Gateway 1, in the design and build of a mock-up student flat with en-suite and kitchen and dining area. This allowed all stakeholders and contractors to work with the client to engage in the fire strategy for the building and roadmap, to create fully compliant compartments which could be designed across the whole building.

This made it possible to design out any defects and emphasis QA/QC and verification regards fire safety, producing a compliant project pack of standard details that could be adopted across the site. By doing this at such an early engagement stage B&K were able to save costs and delays across the project and provide the client with a compliant and safe building. Bowmer and Kirkland could demonstrate that they had not only ‘Raised the Bar’ but have ‘Set the Bar’ with regards to fire safety in construction.

Throughout the ongoing project, Global have supported Bowmer and Kirkland with any fire and quality build issues that have been highlighted throughout the build including workmanship, supplier faults and variations in manufactures design and test details.

To support our client with details that deviated from the original manufacture’s details, Global produced a UKAS assessment that proved that the Met-Frame walls could meet the required performance set in the fire strategy and evidenced/ verification that could be added to the O&M’s and as built drawings. This ensures that the completed building is in line with the original fire lines and fire strategy drawings.

Overview

Since it was first founded in 1974, South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) has been a hub for the community within Grantham, Stamford and Bourne. With their services spanning across a variety of sectors, including the arts, business, the environment and housing – the local authority is centred around putting residents first. SKDC prioritises the safety of their residents, which creates an ideal partnership with Global’s own principal dedication to safety.

Brief –

Global received this opportunity through the LHC Procurement Group and our team was entrusted to expertly identify the best course of action required to resolve any breaches in previous firestopping works, and to synergise with the needs of the company in order to create a space that adheres to fire safety regulations.

Phil Swinton, Health and Safety Manager at South Kesteven District Council commented, “Aside from the fact that Global were ranked number one on the LHC Procurement Framework, we chose to work with them because we had met with several representatives at the Manchester Housing Expo and the enthusiasm, knowledge and experience left a big impression on colleagues who spoke with them. The Golden Thread approach to the recording and tracking along with customer access to this information via a portal only added to the interest.”

With a shared preliminary focus on safety, Global were happy to assist with the firestopping works that SKDC required to ensure the safety of residents within the estate, reaffirming our motto that “fire safety is our whole business. Through innovation and leadership – to protect people and assets”.

Situation

SKDC requested Global to carry out compartmentation surveys and technical notes to identify any inadequate compartmentation across their estate. Our team identified issues that posed a risk to the council’s ‘stay put’ evacuation policy. Our work across the South Kesteven region required a phased approach to tackle dwellings of a higher risk, with a second and third phase to follow.

Solution

In order to tackle the issue of fire doors not adhering to standards, Global used new doorsets and installed PAS24 SBD Ceasefire composite doors to ensure that compartmentation regulations were met. For communal doors, FD30s and FD60s doorsets were installed so they were compliant with fire safety standards. Our team is dedicated to creating high quality work that directly meets our client’s needs, and our Golden Thread approach means that our team was there to support every step of the process: from identifying the problem to creating a solution.

From this remediation work, Global have ensured that the fire doors are compliant with fire safety standards, and SKDC’s ‘stay put’ evacuation strategy will subsequently be adhered to so that the residents in the building can feel safe and protected. Understanding the client’s needs and collaborating with this in mind is essential to the way in which Global successfully operates.

As well as this, compartmentation was also created within the roof voids whereby fire barriers were installed, so, in the event of a fire, the building and its occupants would be sufficiently protected. Firestopping systems were also added into communal areas and suspended ceilings, and Ritherdon overboxes were installed to electrical meters.

Phil Swinton concludes, “The work completed so far has been to the standard we would expect of a company ranked number one. It has been to a very high standard with excellent communication between Global, the Council and importantly, the tenants when the teams have been on site. The customer experience for us has been first rate with swift responses to any query and we have been left with complete confidence and assurance in the works being completed.”

Results –

• Resident satisfaction of new and fully compliant front entrance doors.
• Compliance to regulatory standards achieved.
• Schemes looking refurbished with new doorsets throughout.
• Compartmentation reinstated.

Adam Thirkell, Contracts Manager at Global HSE Group commented, “Our multi-disciplinary approach to scope, enabled us to identify breaches within previous firestopping, fire doors and compartmentation defects, and thereby present the correct solutions to help overcome these concerns. Ensuring regulatory compliance with fire safety standards at a competitive price, but most importantly ensuring the safety of their residents and wider SKDC estate.

We aim to make the process as painless as possible for all involved by keeping disruption to a minimum. By liaising with the residents directly, we undertake any required works at their convenience where possible, ensuring their experience of Global is a positive one.”

Future Plans

Our project with SKDC has been ongoing for over a year, with additional work still being processed presently. With our recent passive fire and fire door installations already improving the wellbeing of the residents across the SKDC estate, and through Global’s prioritisation of our client’s needs, we have built a rapport with SKDC; and it is certainly evident that the partnership between Global and SKDC will continue to prosper.

Andrew Cooper, Managing Director of Global HSE Group added, “SKDC contacted us through the LHC Procurement Group making it simple and efficient for them to procure our services. The LHC Procurement Group brings buyers and suppliers together and we’ve continued to build a strong relationship with both LHC and SKDC as we’ve demonstrated the quality of our work and expertise in passive fire protection and technical fire engineering.

The safety of residents is central to all of the work Global carries out, and our focus on maintaining these strong customer relations through a “do it right” ethos, and quality-driven approach ensures we stand out from the crowd.”

Overview

The PBSA in Newcastle was built in 2008 and required a renovation in 2021. The building consists of 7 student blocks and 445 bedrooms, as well as shared facilities including a laundry room, study room and cinema.

Brief –

To become compliant with guidelines, the building required the passive fire works to be surveyed and remediated. Global were given a time frame of 12 months to complete the works on the live site, with a total of 42 people working to complete the surveying, fire stopping, painting and decorating works.  

Situation

Global completed passive fire surveys for blocks A, B, C, D, E, F and G from the ground floor to the roof. When surveying the property, the team identified that the firestopping works already in place required remediation due to non-compliance, which needed to be rectified to create a safe and compliant space to live in. For example, the survey highlighted that the service riser had an exposed base, which decreased the fire resistance of the passive fire protection. This report also highlighted that some of the existing fire stopping works needed to be removed and reinstalled in order to be compliant with regulations which Global identified, and then provided a recommended action for. Global’s ‘do it right’ approach ensured that this project would receive expert attention from it’s beginning to the end to create a safe space for the occupants.

Challenges –  

As this was a live site, the Global team didn’t want to cause a disruption when completing the works so that the living conditions of the students would not be negatively impacted. To prevent this, we were able to complete the work in a reduced timeframe of 9 months due to the team’s efficiency and expertise.

Solution

To create compliance, we reinstated the integrity of the cluster walls by removing sections of ceiling and extending this to the underside of the timber soffit to create compliant compartmentation of the cluster walls. To further create compartmentation, a single layer of wall board was installed. In addition to this, firestopping penetrations were added from the corridors to the bedrooms by extending the head of wall detail to the wallboard to the existing studwork to the underside of the fire line soffit. The wallboards were also removed near the stair core to retain the timber studwork in the frame and, to improve the fire resistance, double wallboard was installed to the faces of the stud to achieve 60-minute integrity. As well as this, the plasterboard and wall lining were removed, and we installed an FSI ablative batt in the existing studs to reinstate the fire resistance.

A holistic approach was used by Global to make sure that all the various fire safety measures were working together effectively to improve the passive fire protection of the building. This was achieved by upgrading the automatic fire detectors (AFDs) and reviewing the fire strategy. We also installed a Firefly system to ensure that fires could be detected without requiring multiple monitors.

Results – Reinstated integrity of walls

• Compartmentation
• Improved fire resistance
• Compliance with regulations
• Firefly system and upgraded AFDs.

Summary

The PBSA provider entrusted Global to create compliant student accommodation through reinstating compartmentation and improving the fire resistance throughout the student blocks. In doing so, this allowed the team to provide passive fire protection works to ensure the building was safe and compliant.

Global assisted the PBSA provider from the initial surveys conducted by our technicians, to the subsequent remedial works of the passive fire protection, by using the collaborative expertise and experience of our team.

Overview

English Heritage is a charity trust set up to care for collections and sites across the nation. The trust was founded in 1983 and is responsible for over 400 sites.  

One of these sites is Osbourne House, which has been owned and managed by English Heritage since 1986. The Victorian house was originally built in 1851 as a summer holiday home for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and currently remains as a popular tourist attraction located on the Isle of Wight, with its original design still preserved to this day.  

Brief –  

Due to the historical value of the estate, there was a requirement for effective fire compartmentation throughout the property. Global needed to improve the original elements of the property by updating the fire protection without damaging the historical elements of the property, within a timeframe of 3 weeks to complete the work.  

Situation

The client required the original aesthetics of the building to remain, yet the fire rating of the building needed to be improved. Concerns were raised with the Fire Officer at English Heritage as in the Durbar Wing, the historical cross-corridors required fire safety measures to be put in place.  

Challenges –  

Working on a historic building presented as a challenge due to needing to protect the heritage of the site whilst also ensuring that it met regulations. For example, because the house was built in the 1850’s, replacing the doors with fire rated doorsets was not an option. Therefore, a proactive approach needed to be used to ensure that damage didn’t occur to any of the paintings, so the Royal Collection was booked in to remove paintings and sculptures near where Global’s work was taking place, they also ensured that areas were clean screened to minimise dust damaging the important objects.  

Solution

Instead of replacing the doors with new doorsets in the Durbar Wing, Global carried out remedial works to the cross-corridor doors, as we value working collaboratively with our clients to create fire safety works that meet their requirements and regulations. We also replaced the existing vision panels on the doors in the building with fire rated glazing and fitted intumescent combination seals to create compartmentation.

To further improve the integrity of the doors, we hardwood glazed panels to the doors and loft lights and added a 3-part envirograph intumescent coating to doors and timber. As well as completing door remedial works, we also replaced the existing fanlights and added fire rated boxing around electrical consumer units.  

Results –  

• Compartmentation created through door remedial works  

• Improved fire rating 

• Fire resistance through passive fire works  

• Compliance with regulations  

Summary

The team were able to complete door remedial works to create compartmentation, and to ensure that the fire rating of the building was improved and met regulations whilst maintaining the Victorian aesthetics of the building.

By prioritising the client’s requirements, the team at Global were able to deliver a high standard of work alongside maintaining exceptional customer service over the course of the project.  

Overview

IQ Student Accommodation is an accommodation provider that houses over 28,000 students across 67 different sites in the UK. Student experience is the priority at IQ, which is achieved through the quality of the living environment, and a focus on creating a community. One of the sites provided by IQ is Opal Court, which was built in 2003 for students attending university in Leicester.  

Brief –  

Opal Court required compartmentation to works to update the building and ensure it adhered to regulations. With 121 cluster flats and 15 storeys, this was a large project to bring the building into line with the regulations in place.  

Situation

Fire safety works in the building needed to be brought in line with the fire strategy of the building to meet the building regulations. At the beginning of this project, the survey team and consultants collaborated to carry out an intrusive inspection of the building, and we worked with the Building Management team for Opal Court in order to review the existing drawings, which highlighted the requirement for remedial works.  

Solution

Over 50 technicians were deployed on site, and the programming and access arrangements were completed by the contract management team. This was also assisted by the contract support team to keep an efficient schedule. The team carried out a passive fire protection inspection to make observations on the firestopping works in place. In doing so, a lack of compliance was found, such as the corridor walls needed to be constructed to FR30 and the door frames needing to be sealed with a correct fire stop detail. Conducting this survey allowed GTS to recommend the best actions moving forwards, as one of the key suggestions was a fully survey on compartment doors as deficiencies were found across multiple doors, and the quality of the doors were varied and inconsistent.  

The Global team updated the internal FR30, FR60 and FR90 walls, as well as the 120FR floors. In doing so, the compartmentation and fire resistance was brought into compliance. All the work had to be completed to a standard against the manufacturer’s test details, and a third party approved the works under the FIRAS scheme upon completion for passive fire protection works to be certain that the building meets regulations.  

Results –  

• Updated FR30, FR60 and FR90 walls  

• Updated 120FR floors  

• Compliant compartmentation and fire resistance  

Summary

The results of Globa’s remedial works of the passive fire protection works to ensured that Opal Court met building regulations by updating the walls and floors to improve the fire resistance of the accommodation. By using an efficient approach and creating high standard of work, Global has now been appointed as the fire safety contractor across more of IQ’s properties.