My client, the owner of this single staircase house, had made structural alterations to the layout making it open plan but apparently had not obtained building control approval but started on the process. He now wished to sell the property and needed to regularise the position by making a final submission to building control. I inspected ...
These six-storey buildings comprising flats had timber-slatted external access and escape
balconies supported by unprotected steel cantilevered beams and perimeter beams. The client had been requested by the London Fire Brigade to reconsider if it was safe to leave this steel unprotected against fire issuing from a flat. I made a site visit in the company of the building control officer and the ...
The client wished to change the disused second floor to residential use and eliminate an alternative stair so as to achieve a larger sitting room. I inspected the building with the builder and discussed a range of fire safety strategies. By relocating the kitchen, use of automatic door hold-open devices actuated by the fire detection and alarm system, subdividing the layout to provide a protected corridor to the single stair, and the provision of two emergency egress widows etc I ...
Read On → ShareThis multi storey building was being converted into flats. One of the uppermost flats was beyond reach by a normal fire service ladder 
access and within that 2-storey flat (duplex) there was no protection to the single escape stair. Fortunately all bedrooms were on the lower storey and could be regarded as low risk in relation ...
I was asked to help decide if the design of fire doors manufactured by one manufacturer infringed another door manufacturer’s patent. I was given a copy of the patent in question, access to fire test reports, door design drawings and abstracts of international patents to examine. My interpretation of the drawings was made, and papers I had written were used as background information together with the results of a search of historical fire documents in the British Library. The outcome ...
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