My client, a building developer, was at an advanced stage of converting a large lodge into several flats over three storeys. There were difficulties in the internal planning due to the need to adopt open planning because of the small footprint, a difficulty compounded by the lack of any openings in the upper most room which could be used as a fire escape window. I was commissioned to inspect the building and make remedial recommendations. I used the guidance in the BS PD 7974 fire safety engineering documents. It proved possible to eliminate several active fire barriers because they did not give safety for all plausible fire scenarios and this saved several thousand pounds while improving life safety. The solution was to arrange for evacuation at top storey level into the building next door by installing a 1 hour fire door (FD60S) in the party wall with safeguards as to continuing access to the next door building over the years, and, through a carefully argued report, this package was accepted by building control.
Client: building developer (Kerrington Ltd)
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